


Wrong turn to the Dark Ages

by CanadianWriter78



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series, The Last Kingdom (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:13:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 20,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanadianWriter78/pseuds/CanadianWriter78
Summary: The crew of the USS Enterprise finds themselves in jeopardy as the ship is tossed through a wave of turbulence that is ripples of time. Sulu is injured. As Bones goes to assist his fellow Starfleet officer, he asks Chekov for assistance. Chekov accidentally injects himself with an overdose of cordrazine; a dangerous drug. Delusional and paranoid, Chekov flees from the bridge to the transporter room, beaming himself down to what Kirk believes to be a nearby planet, but is in fact 9th century England. Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, and four crew members beam down to a planet where the Guardian of Forever shows them a portal to various time periods and indicates where Chekov has disappeared to. The Enterprise officers enter through the portal of time into the year 872, where King Alfred of Wessex is fighting an uphill battle to form a united England and drive out the Viking invaders.
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five – year mission: to explore the Galaxy. To seek out strange new worlds. To boldly go where no man has ever gone before….  
The USS Nebulus was a colossal space station that stood dominantly like a sentry guarding the far and wide reaches of the Galaxy. Barely five years had passed since the refueling and repair depot was rolled off the assembly line and transported into outer space. As overriding and authoritarian as the station appeared from a distance, it had limited defensive capabilities and barely any offensive ones.   
James T. Kirk was loath to believe that his ship would be put out to pasture any time soon. The USS Enterprise was a part of his life he could never let go of. But, the harsh reality was that the starship had of late been experiencing a series of malfunctions, particularly with its engines. Still, he couldn’t see himself on any other vessel. He’d made up his mind that if the Enterprise was decommissioned, he’d be done with space and would gladly accept a position in the offices of the Federation.  
His pride and joy had been docked in one of the largest spaceports of the Nebulus for the past six hours. An aggravating setback if there ever was one. Kirk and his crew whiled away the time in an upscale lounge where military stewards dressed in starched, clean uniforms served generous portions of rich food and drinks to those who desired it.   
Kirk watched as teams of mechanics scoured the Enterprise’s engine systems and rockets for any signs of disrepair and poor condition. As much as he hated sitting around here wasting time, at least the food was good. Kirk began eating the second half of his turkey and cheese sandwich.  
“I tried Sir. I did everything I could while we were in the air,” Scotty said with a tinge of forlornness in his voice.   
“Don’t beat yourself up, Scotty,” the Enterprise commander replied. “As good as we are, some things are just beyond our control.”  
Bones, who’d had his battles with alcoholism, thanked his lucky stars that he had the courage not to touch any of the umpteen bottles of liquor sitting so temptingly on the shelf in the lounge. Should he take so much as one drink, well, it would be game over for him and the crew.  
Bones stood next to Kirk as he watched the crews at work.  
“Jim, have you spoken with Admiral Peterson recently? I mean, regarding the frequent troubles we’ve been having with the ship.”  
Kirk nodded unenthusiastically.   
“I certainly did. Considering there have been at least a dozen brand – spanking new starships that have entered service recently, I get the feeling he might want to put old Betsy out to pasture.”  
Bones’ face became wrought with disappointment.  
“Oh God, that wouldn’t be good,” the ship’s head surgeon said. “The only ship I ever really got to know was the Enterprise.”  
Kirk shrugged.   
“I wouldn’t meet trouble halfway – at least not until the pencil pushers who run the Federation have started to iron anything out.”  
“I feel the same way as you do, Captain,” Spock added. “Although if the Enterprise has run its course – to pun intended – it would seem only logical that she would be retired from active duty. Not that I am in any hurry to see that happen.”  
“None of us are,” Uhura stated.   
Tom Wilkinson had just started his freshman year at Starfleet Academy when Kirk was in his senior year. Their paths had only crossed on a few occasions, sometimes when Kirk was reprimanding the young hothead for his various deeds of misconduct. Kirk never believed in a million years that Wilkinson would ever graduate from the academy, much less become commander of the USS Nebulus.  
“James Tiberius Kirk.” Wilkinson still had remnants of that cocky, arrogant smile, something that should have been removed from him by now, even by a punch in the mouth. “Seems like only yesterday you and I were mates in Starfleet Academy.”  
“Yes, time certainly does fly. Tell me, where did they put you after graduation?”  
“I served some time aboard the USS Barack Obama. Are you familiar with that ship?”  
Kirk nodded.  
“A bit. It was named after a great president.”  
“It’s a cargo slash transport vessel. Yeah, that’s where I cut my chops,” Wilkinson explained. “So, about the Enterprise. I’m pleased to say that you’re about to be given a clean bill of health.”  
“That’s a relief. Commander, what exactly was wrong with it?”  
“Those engines are going to need replacing very shortly. I specialized in mechanical engineering at the academy. My first posting was in the engine room of the USS Barack Obama.”  
“That’s interesting to hear. How soon will we have clearance to return to space?” Kirk asked.   
“Within the hour,” Wilkinson replied. “In the meantime, I hope you’re enjoying the hospitality I’ve bestowed upon you, your officers and crew. I realize we had our ins and outs back in the day, but that’s all water under the bridge. don’t you agree, Captain Kirk?”  
“I suppose so. I sincerely hope you learned your lesson during those days. That this is a thoroughly professional outfit.”  
“Am I not being professional enough for you?” that toothy grin again. This one was an arsehole for life.   
Kirk looked around at his subordinates.   
“Well, I don’t have any complaints. Spock? Bones? Mr. Sulu?”  
The others shook their heads.   
“No, we’ve been treated very well,” Sulu stated.  
“We truly appreciate the food, Commander,” Uhura said.   
“I’m glad you’re all happy. I must return to the bridge. Lieutenant Granger – he’s the commander of the bays – will fetch you when the Enterprise is ready for takeoff.”  
Wilkinson left.   
“I take it you and Commander Wilkinson are well acquainted from the past,” Bones said. “Starfleet Academy?”  
Kirk nodded.   
“He was a freshman. I was a senior. Arrogant little prick who from what I can see hasn’t changed a great deal.”


	2. KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhtred of Bebbanburg has been tasked by King Alfred of Wessex to embark on a reconnaissance mission to root out Viking raiding parties that have been terrorizing the coast of the Kingdom of Wessex.

I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred.   
Uhtred Ragnarson never forgot his roots, where he came from. Tragedy had befallen the half Saxon/half Dane warrior at a young age. His family slaughtered, Uhtred was kidnapped by a particularly ruthless Dane raiding party at the age of 11 and taught how to kill in every way imaginable. While in his early twenties, Uhtred had a revelation of sorts; although the Vikings trained to claim him as one of their own, he was Danish in name only. In reality, his true name was Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a city in the north of the divided kingdoms of this island that had been under enemy occupation since he was a boy.   
Now a man, Uhtred had a strong desire to embrace his Saxon heritage. Escaping from the Danes and Norsemen who’d raised him was a risky enough endeavor, but trying to convince a Saxon king that he was truly one of them and that he would pledge allegiance to his ruler until his dying days as the test of all tests. Luckily, Alfred of Wessex was not only sympathetic but gave Uhtred a commission in his fledgling army.   
A dark, angry sky hung over the pastoral, verdant landscape. Thunderstorms, followed by driving rains, would soon cover the landscape. On this dreary, damp day, Uhtred, Finan, and a group of officers and enlisted soldiers were on a mission to seek out and gather information on the unending Viking raiding parties who attacked the coast of Wessex with abandon. Witnessing the destruction carried out by these immoral Pagan brutes reminded Uhtred of just how evil they were. He may have had Danish features, but in his heart, he was a Saxon who believed in fairness and treating others well. He even accepted Jesus Christ as his lord and savior.   
Uhtred, Finan, and a fellow commander named Wilfred crouched low in a cluster of trees overlooking a quaint fishing village named Colchester. The villagers went about their business, seemingly oblivious to the armada of Viking ships sailing directly towards them. The Saxon warriors only had ten men with them, not enough to take on the hordes of barbarians from the north who were about to descend upon the Wessex coastline.   
“Uhtred, we have to stop them,” Finan said.   
“I’m afraid we’re vastly outnumbered,” he replied before drawing his sword. “But that hasn’t stopped us yet. I don’t know about you boys, but I’m in the mood for slaying some Danes.”  
*****  
Dozens of villagers moved away from the wharf as the ships came closer. The mayor, a man named Stephen, was nearly frozen in fear as he watched the marauders chomping at the bit to land and cut them all down to pieces. Their swords, spears, and axes were stained with blood. Such a horrifying sight. The Vikings got jumped off the ships and made a beeline for the village. A few men with swords and axes tried to stop them but were stabbed and sliced repeatedly. Two Danes with unkempt beards chased after a young girl, knocking her to the ground and ripping the dress off of her as she struggled to break free.   
*****  
Finan was an anxious sort, but right now, his blood was boiling to the point where his heart could explode if he didn’t jump in there and send at least a few of those Pagan bastards to Hades. The Saxons had moved to the outskirts of the village but kept out of sight. Uhtred’s nerves could barely steel themselves against the terrifying screams of Saxon girls and women being raped before having swords and spears ran through their small bodies.   
“I can’t fuckin’ take any more of this!”  
Finan drew his sword. Uhtred turned to the others, all of whom were on horseback.   
“I guess that’s our cue, boys.”  
The Saxons rode fast through the streets of the village. Uhtred charged right at a Dane who was about to rape another young woman. As the invader went for his ax, Uhtred sliced off half of the man’s face with his broadsword. A gruesome scene followed as blood and tissue spewed forth everywhere.   
Two other Vikings attacked Uhtred, knocking him from his stead. Uhtred rolled out of the way mere seconds before a spear intended for his heart stabbed into the dirt. He reached for a dagger in his boot, which he used to slice the arteries behind the leg of one of his attackers. The man fell to his knees as he slowly bled to death, screaming and howling in pain.   
Uhtred jumped to his feet just as the second Dane swung at him with an ax.   
“I know you!” the man said with an evil grin. “Uhtred Ragnarson. The traitor.”  
“I’m no Dane and you know it!” Uhtred blocked Dane’s parries and thrusts. All of a sudden, the Dane froze. His eyes became wide before he fell over onto his face. The reason: an arrow sticking into his back.   
Uhtred looked up. A young soldier who’d recently joined the Army of Wessex lowered his bow.   
“Good work, kid,” Uhtred said. “I’ll tell Alfred personally that you saved my life.”  
Using the element of surprise, the mounted Saxons had been able to overtake most of the Danes. A few survivors fled in one of the ships, leaving the others in the harbor.   
“Burn those ships,” Uhtred ordered.   
As the soldiers went about dousing the Viking vessels in tar, Uhtred and Finan were confronted by Stephen.   
“My Lord, thank you so much for coming to us in our time of need,” the mayor said.   
“You’d be better to thank God that he ensured we just happened to be the area when those Danes arrived,” Finan said.   
Uhtred looked at Finan.   
“This wasn’t really on our itinerary. We’d best be getting back to Winchester.”


	3. ON THE USS ENTERPRISE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy is treating an injured Lt. Sulu when the USS Enterprise is rocked by a time distortion. Chekov, who is assisting Bones, accidentally injects himself with an overdose of cordrazine; a dangerous drug. Delusional and paranoid, Chekov sees visions of a princess in distress and flees from the bridge to the transporter room, beaming himself down to a nearby planet.

ONBOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE  
James Kirk settled into the small office he’d made out of his sleeping quarters. It was time for his daily log.   
“Captain’s log. Star Date 6605.07. We have departed the USS Nebulus with all repairs done to our engines,” he said into an electronic logbook. “The Enterprise is due for some major repairs in the near future. I just hope it isn’t the end of this amazing vessel.”  
Kirk stopped recording. Ever since venturing out deeper into the Alpha Galaxy, mild turbulence had been a slight annoyance for the crew. They’d even dodged a bullet in the form of a sudden asteroid field that had the potential to cause considerable harm to the Enterprise. He walked into a corridor. Small groups of crewmembers passed by him. What exactly their mission would be for today was still up in the air.  
It was business as usual on the bridge. The sensors and various electronic gadgets whistled and made their usual sounds. This was home to Kirk. He felt comfortable nowhere else. More turbulence. Weaving and bobbing. Kirk held onto the wall near his chair.   
“The last time we experienced turbulence on this level, we inadvertently found ourselves in a wormhole,” Kirk said. “I am not eager to repeat that experience anytime soon.”  
“I’m with you one hundred percent on that one,” Bones said. “I honestly never believed I would get out of that galaxy alive. Of course, our hosts were more than gracious. And we did help them defeat their enemies.”  
Sulu and Chekov did their best to keep the Enterprise on a steady course as a punishing wave of turbulence tossed the ship around. The officers held onto whatever they could. Sulu watched the screen in front of him.  
“Sir, there’s something weird happening. These waves….look!”  
Kirk and Spock came in close to examine the screen.  
“Captain, I believe those are ripples of time,” Spock said with an air of intellectualism.  
“So, we are in some type of wormhole?” Kirk feared the worse.   
“The technical term is a time distortion.”  
Bone’s eyes went wide.  
“A time distortion. Mr. Spock, whatever do you mean?”  
“Well, the scientific definition is as follows; a type of perceptual transformation, sometimes experienced in altered states of consciousness, in which time appears to pass either with great rapidity or with extreme slowness. Perception of past and future may also be transformed,” Spock explained as if reading from a textbook.  
“That’s interesting,” Uhura said. “When you first said a time distortion, I believed we might be going back to some period of time in history.”  
“That could also be the case,” Spock replied. “Personally, I’ve always found the concept of time travel to be convoluted and impractical. The entire paradox of time travel seems most illogical. Think about it; if one of you humans travels back in time an entire century and you kill your great - grandfather, that means while your grandfather is most likely born, your father and you are not born, hence you merely disintegrate.”  
“This is an interesting perception, Mr. Spock,” Kirk said. “You have so much knowledge. You’re almost a walking encyclopedia.”  
The Enterprise slowed down as it became entangled in a minefield of time ripples.   
“I’ve got to say; this is first experience I’ve had being trapped by ripples of time,” Kirk stated.   
Sulu stood up just as a heavy wave of the phenomenon rocked the Enterprise. He fell, hitting his head on the floor.   
Bones rushed to help Sulu, who was only semi conscious.   
“Mr. Chekov, I need your assistance for a brief second,” Bones said as Kirk and another officer named McIlroy – who’d been in the bridge - took the controls of the ship.   
Chekov got down to help Bones. Bones handed him a needle.   
“Just hold onto this as I prepare to inject Mr. Sulu.”  
The ship was rocked by another time distortion, accidentally causing Chekov to inject himself with an overdose of cordrazine.   
“Oh no!” Bones became frantic with alarm.   
No sooner had Chekov accidentally injected himself with he became delusional and paranoid.   
“I must save the princess! I must save the princess! She’s in danger!” he shouted in his thick Russian accent before fleeing the bridge.   
“Lieutenant McIlroy, stay here and man the controls,” Kirk ordered.   
“Yes, Sir,” McIlroy replied.   
“This is Captain Kirk,” he said into his radio. “I’m ordering a lockdown of the Enterprise. Lt. Commander Pavel Chekov has been accidentally injected with a dangerous drug and is potentially a danger to himself and others. All security teams are to be ready to apprehend Mr. Chekov. Kirk out.  
*****  
Kirk, Spock and Bones rushed down a corridor where they believed Chekov had fled down. A security commander named Riker and six of his team met Kirk.   
“Sir, there is no sign of Lt. Commander Chekov,” Riker stated. “I’ve ordered small teams to scour every inch of the ship.”  
“He’ll turn up, commander,” Kirk said. “I’m not too worried.”  
Kirk and his compatriots rounded a corner. Out of the corner of his eye, Kirk spotted Chekov, who had a crazed look in his Slavic eyes.   
“There he is!” Kirk said excitedly. “Get him.”  
Kirk, Spock and Bones chased after Chekov, who ran like a cheetah down another hallway. They stopped in their tracks as Chekov made a beeline for the transporter room.   
“I must help the princess!”  
“What the hell is he blabbing on about!?” Bones was livid.   
They tried to open the door, but Chekov had locked it. Just as they shoved the door open, Chekov was beamed down to some unknown place.   
“Stupid me. I shouldn’t have given him that cursed needle!” Bones berated himself for his actions.   
“Lamenting on what we should or shouldn’t have done won’t do us any good now,” Kirk said. He got on his radio. “Scotty, we need you in the transporter room ASAP.  
Scotty and Uhura, along with two officers named Fritz and Charles as well as a young female officer named Perrin rushed down the corridor.   
“Scotty, beam us down to that planet directly below. I’m sure Mr. Chekov unknowingly beamed himself down there,” Kirk said.   
“Aye, aye, Captain Kirk,” Scotty said.


	4. ON AN UNKNOWN PLANET

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon arriving on an unknown planet, Kirk and his officers are confronted by the Guardian of Forever, who tells them that Chekov has disappeared into a time ‘lost past’. They enter a portal showing historic images to find themselves in England in the year 872.

ON AN UNKNOWN PLANET  
Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, Perrin, Fritz, and Charles were beamed down onto a planet whose terrain resembled the Arizona desert.   
“Hopefully Mr. Chekov didn’t get too far away,” Kirk said.   
“We’ll need to sedate our friend once we locate him,” Bones added.   
The first thing to greet the Starfleet officers was a glowing stone archway.   
“Hey, check this out,” said Fritz.   
To their great shock, the archway started talking in a booming, God-like voice. “Who goes there?”   
“My name is Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise. My helmsman beamed himself down to this planet. And we are trying to locate him.”  
“You will not find him here,” the Guardian of Forever said.   
Behind the Guardian of Forever was a screen showing in fast motion hundreds and thousands of scenes from history. While Spock recorded the historic images from the portal, Uhura caught a glimpse of Chekov running from behind a rock and escaping through it.   
“Mr. Chekov!” Kirk went to go after him but was held back.   
“What you see in front of you is a doorway to any time and place,” explained the Guardian of Forever.   
Uhura retrieved her radio, but all she got was static.   
“It appears as though we’ve lost contact with the Enterprise,” she stated.   
“Your friend has altered the past. All you have known is gone,” said the Guardian of Forever.  
“Where exactly did he escape to?” an impatient Kirk pressed for answers.   
“To a time long passed. You may all go there, but you will only have a limited amount of time to find him and get back to the present day.”  
Kirk looked around at his colleagues.   
“Let’s do this people.”  
One after another, the Enterprise officers jumped through the portal. They all arrived on what appeared to be a forest road, but not one used by modern-day vehicles, rather horses and wagons. Kirk got to his feet, brushing leaves off his uniform.   
“Captain, do you have even the slightest idea where we could be?”  
Kirk took in his surroundings. for some reason, the deciduous forest reminded him of similar forests he’d visited while touring the UK many years earlier.   
“It looks something like England, but there’s no way of knowing exactly what period we’ve arrived in,” Kirk said.   
Bones flinched at hearing the sound of footsteps approaching. They had the pitter-patter of a child’s feet scurrying through the woods, or perhaps even a small animal. Bones drew his phaser. The Starfleet officers came face to face with a frightened little girl who was no older than six or seven years of age. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with terror.   
“It’s alright,” Uhura said in a reassuring tone of voice. “We won’t hurt you.”  
The little girl looked around at these strangers who’d appeared out of nowhere.   
“What’s your name?” Kirk asked.   
She was too frightened to answer.   
Kirk turned to Uhura.   
“Lieutenant, try to find out what language she speaks. If this is indeed England, we could be in an early part of the Dark Ages or even a pre-Christian period where people speak a wide range of languages including Latin, Anglo-Norman, Middle English, French, even Germanic language,” Kirk said.   
“Emma,” the child said softly. “My name is Emma.”  
Bones came in closer to Emma, who didn’t flinch. He got down on one knee and examined her.   
“Although this child’s dress has bloodstains on it, I cannot find any signs of injury – physical injury, that is,” Bones stated. “She’s been traumatized. Suffering the effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome.”  
“Sir, we need to find out where she lives,” Perrin said.   
“That could be a risky roll of the dice,” Spock said, considering we have no idea whatsoever is happening. At the same time, we’re lost out here, and Emma may be our link to finding civilization.”  
“I agree with you completely, Mr. Spock,” Kirk said. “Emma, would you be so kind as to guide us to your village?”  
Upon being asked this, Emma’s little body shook with fear.   
“Captain, if I didn’t know better, I would have to say that our medieval friend is terrified to go to her village, that’s if it even still exists,” Spock said.   
“You mean everybody could have been massacred?” Fritz said. “By whom? I thought most of the clan – type warfare was finished by the middle part of the Middle Ages.”  
“I have a feeling we have arrived in the early part when the Saxon kings ruled an undivided island that at the time was under the control of the Vikings,” Spock said. “The ninth century. I have studied extensively the history of your planet. The Vikings were a warrior tribe from modern-day Scandinavia who pillaged and occupied much of Europe from the eighth to eleventh centuries. It isn’t inconceivable that Emma’s village was sacked by Viking raiders. Either way, we must check it out.”  
*****  
Sure enough, the Starfleet officers arrived at an archetypal medieval English peasant village. Every thatched house and building had been burned to the ground while the bodies of hundreds of villagers lay strewn about the blood-soaked land.   
“Just as I suspected,” Bones said.   
While Kirk, Spock, Bones, Fritz, and Charles investigated the massacre, Uhura and Perrin stayed back in the woods with Emma, who was adamant about not returning to her village.   
“This is horrifying!” Bones’ eyes were as wide as saucers.   
They came upon a man who lay in the throes of death, seconds away from death’s door. He’d been stabbed and slashed repeatedly. Bones got down to check his vital signs.   
“Bones, think you’ll be able to save him?” Kirk asked.  
“My God Jim, I’m a doctor, not a miracle worker.”  
With that, the man’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he died.   
“So much for even trying,” Bones said.   
“Sir, how adept are you at riding a horse?” Fritz asked.   
“I’ve done it a few times,” Kirk replied. “I take it since you were born and raised on a ranch in West Texas, you’re most likely a pro at horseback riding.”  
“It’s second nature to me, Sir,” Fritz replied. “I was just thinking. We’re going to need horses to get around.”  
“That’ll be the next order of business,” Kirk said.


	5. WINCHESTER KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Alfred of Wessex gives his daughter away in marriage to the King of Mercia to form a stronger alliance while Chekov is discovered by the king’s troops.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Glorious, hazy rays of warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the stained - glass windows of the small chapel as if they were sent directly from Heaven. This chapel – an extension of King Alfred’s palace – was one of the very few places where the ruler of Wessex could escape the daily hassles and demands placed upon him and kneel or sit in total silent reflection.   
He knelt before the altar, a finely - crafted crucifix and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary peering down at the king and his wife. Aelswith kneeled beside her husband. This chapel also served as a place of peace which gave the royal couple time to pray and talk together.   
“Father in Heaven, I ask that you continue to watch over your people on Earth. If it is your will, bestow onto me the strength to unite the kingdoms of England, and drive out the Pagan invaders once and for all,” Alfred prayed. “We do this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.”  
Alfred and Aelswith blessed themselves.  
“Alfred, I fear for the future of this realm,” she said in a hopeless, fearful tone. “We cannot stand alone. Sadly, the kings of Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia seem not interested in becoming one.”  
Alfred stood up.  
“Please, don’t remind me. But at least we have the reassurance that God is on our side.”  
The chapel door opened a smidgeon. That bald head and husky figure were recognizable a mile away. Alfred deeply admired Father Beocca. The parish priest was not only an excellent pastor and spiritual helper to the community, but he was also one of the king’s most trusted advisors.   
“Father Beocca, do you want some time to pray and reflect?” he asked.  
“My Lord, perhaps you’ve forgotten, in which case I’ve come to remind you,” Beocca said. “Your daughter. You wish to call together a meeting regarding you and the queen betrothing her to the king of Mercia. Ethelred is his name if I’m not mistaken.”  
Alfred nodded.  
“Let us go,” he said to his wife. “We must not keep our guests waiting.”  
*****  
Alfred and Aelswith were escorted to the hall where they held conferences and grand dinners. Their children – Aethelflaed and Edward – stood next to their father’s throne. High – ranking clergy and courtiers sat on either side of a corridor that ran up through the middle of the huge hall.   
“My Lord and Lady, these men have made the journey from Mercia,” Beocca explained. “This is Aldhelm, chief advisor to King Ethelred.”  
Alfred nodded to Aldhelm, who made a slight bow in front of the king and queen.  
“My Lord, King Ethelred has agreed to this marriage as a way of cementing stronger ties between our respective kingdoms,” Aldhelm explained. “But first, he wishes to spend time with the Lady Aethelflaed just to get to know her a bit better.”  
“I take no issue with such a request,” Alfred said. He turned to his daughter. “Finding a proper suitor for my only daughter has been no easy task. But I believe this is the best decision that could have been made. Aethelflaed, I will arrange an envoy within the next few days that will be charged with ensuring you arrive safely in Mercia. From there, you will become acquainted with your new husband.”  
“Yes, father.”  
*****  
If those cursed Danes believed they were going to rape and pillage through Mercia with no repercussions, well, they were in for a rude awakening. Uhtred and his men would see to that. Finan and Wilfred rode on either side of the army commander while the remaining soldiers in the group followed behind on horseback.   
The group was nearing the gates of Winchester when it was alerted to loud talking sounds coming from the forest. Uhtred stopped cold and listened intently.   
“It in all likelihood isn’t anything to worry about,” Finan said. “But we should still check to be sure.”  
The Saxons rode into the forest where they came upon a man wearing the strangest clothing any of them had ever seen. He was neither Saxon nor Dane. The man appeared dehydrated and seemed to be going insane the way he ranted and carried on talking to himself.   
“You. Stop. Who are you?” Uhtred demanded.   
Chekov looked up at the knights.   
“I must find the princess! She is in danger.”  
Uhtred traded confused looks with his comrades in arms.   
“Is he talking about Aethelflaed?” Wilfred wondered out loud. “He has gone mad, or is possessed by the Devil.”  
Chekov became more insistent.   
“Please! Do you know where the princess is? Help me!” he said in his thick Russian accent.  
Wilfred and the soldiers drew their swords.   
“No. Put those away. Now!” Uhtred ordered. “This man is no threat to us or the king. He might prove useful to us.”  
“Uhtred, what do you want to do with him?” Finan asked.   
“Bring him back to Winchester with us. Lock him up, but there is no need to harm him.”  
Two of the soldiers apprehended the bewildered and confused helmsman of the Enterprise.   
“What is your name?” Finan demanded.  
“Chekov. Lieutenant. The helmsman of the USS Enterprise.”  
USS Enterprise? The knights looked at each other with confused glances.”  
*****  
The Saxon warriors entered the gates of Winchester with their prisoner, who received curious looks from the residents, who had never before seen somebody wearing that kind of uniform.   
Hild, a member of the local convent but also a fighter, greeted Uhtred.  
“Uhtred! Thank God you made it back alive.” She hugged him. “Who…who is this?”  
“Says his name is Chekov. Claims to be the helmsman of some ship,” Uhtred explained. “We don’t know where he came from or if he’s working for the Danes. We have to find all this out.”  
Four soldiers led Chekov to city dungeon while Uhtred entered the palace. He kneeled before King Alfred and his wife.   
“My Lord. My Lady. You can sleep well tonight knowing that more Viking raiding parties have met their demise at the end of my sword.” Uhtred unsheathed his sword, which was stained red from blood.   
“It is reassuring news,” Alfred said. “But we are a long way from not only driving these Pagan savages from our shores but having a united England.”  
“I believe that will come in time,” Uhtred replied.


	6. FOREST IN KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Enterprise officers and Emma come across a farming community and offer gold and silver in exchange for horses.

FOREST IN KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
“Captain’s log. No stardate. By chance of some rare shift, we have found ourselves in a time warp and transported back to the year 872 in England,” Kirk spoke into his mobile recorder, almost certain that Starfleet Command would not be able to hear him on the other end. “The crewmembers who arrived with me are safe, but we are desperate to locate the whereabouts of Lieutenant Pavel Chekov. A massive question mark stands in the way of how exactly we will ever find our way back to modern society. Stay tuned. Kirk out.”  
The Enterprise officers and the child they rescued walked through a misty forest made even foggier by the heavy rains that had recently passed through the area. They had spent a rather miserable night inside of a Roman-era manor.  
“Thank goodness for old fire hearths,” Bones said, shivering uncontrollably. “This brings back memories of when I traveled to the UK on an exchange many years ago.”  
Emma walked between Perrin and Uhura.  
“Emma, how are you feeling?” Perrin asked.  
“Okay,” the little girl answered in a forlorn voice. Tears rolled down her angelic cheeks. Perrin held her closer.  
“Do you have any other family who you could stay with?” Uhura asked.  
Emma shook her head.  
“No.”  
“That isn’t something for us to worry about right at this moment,” Kirk stated. “As the adage goes, while in Rome, do like the Romans. We’re about four centuries after the end of the Roman occupation of England, but we still need horses.”  
“And swords and armor,” added Charles. “I suppose we could use our phasers here, as they are more powerful than any weapon the locals have.”  
“I’d prefer not to alter the timeline any more than we have to,” Kirk said.  
The Starfleet officers and Emma walked out of the forest into a verdant, lush valley that contained half a dozen or so farms.  
“Jim, what’d you know? Our horse problem has been taken care of,” Bones said.  
“Captain.”  
“Yes, Mr. Spock?”  
“I’m not so certain how these fine folks will receive a group of strangers wearing even stranger uniforms,” Spock said. “And, as you said earlier, you’re keen to avoid conflict at all costs.”  
“These people are no threat,” Kirk replied. “And, if you’re all so concerned about how we’ll compensate them for their horses, I just happened to bring along a few pieces of genuine gold and silver, worth more than what they make in a decade. Remember, these are feudal times.”  
They walked toward the cluster of farms. A ruggedly – built man in his thirties who was raking hay stopped and looked at them. He found it strange they were not hiding horses nor were even armed. Strange red, blue, and yellow outfits. Were they supernatural beings either sent from God or Lucifer?  
Scared, the man pointed his pitchfork threateningly. Other villagers joined in, some of whom were armed with spears and daggers.  
“We mean you no harm,” Kirk stated in an affirmative tone of voice. “We need horses – seven of them.”  
The farmer and ten other men from the village stepped forward with their primitive weapons.  
“Please, leave us in peace,” the man said. “You don’t look like Danes to me. Then just who are you?”  
“We’re mostly Americans,” said Fritz with a goofy smile.  
Kirk shot him a stern look.  
“Fritz, knock that foolishness off right now.”  
“Sorry, Sir. I won’t happen again.”  
“If we explained to you who we were, you would have a particularly difficult time believing it,” Spock said. “Captain now would be a good time to---”  
“I’m on it, Mr. Spock.” Kirk produced a small cloth bag and emptied the contents on his right hand. The villagers smiled in glee at the sight of several pieces of gold and silver. “As I said, we’ve come to make a business transaction of sorts.”  
The man put his pitchfork down. The others followed suit.  
“All that for seven horses?” he asked.  
“It’s worth considerably more to you than it is to us,” Bones said.  
The man extended his hand.  
“I am Stephen.” A short, plump though pleasant-faced woman with blondish hair stood beside him. “This is my wife, Agnes.”  
The Enterprise officers took turns shaking the man’s hand.  
“My name is James Tiberius Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise.”  
Stephen looked strangely at him.  
“Is that some kind of a sailing vessel?”  
“I suppose you could say that,” Kirk replied. “If you feel bad about greeting us with such a hostile response, it’s perfectly okay. We understand how hostile and unstable life in your country is right now.”  
“Well, Captain Kirk. I’d barely call it a country we have – at least for the moment,” Agnes said. “Just a cluster of kingdoms who cannot work together. We all think highly of King Alfred – and pray to God each day that he can unite the kingdoms.”  
“Well, you certainly have history on your side if that is what you desire,” Spock said.  
“What do you mean?” asked one of the villagers.  
“Perhaps it won’t be in your lifetime, but in your children’s,” he countered.  
Stephen motioned toward the largest barn in the farming village.  
“Come, my friends. Allow me to show you the horse barn.”  
Kirk, Emma, and the officers followed the villagers to the barn. Inside were close to twenty horses.”  
“Take your pick.”  
Charles browsed the selection of well-groomed, well-fed livestock.  
“Stephen, you have quite a few quarters and Appaloosa horses. We always had them on our ranch in West Texas. Best horses for riding you will find.”  
“They’re yours,” Stephen said. “Are you on a quest? Do you know His Majesty?”  
“You mean a mission? It’s rather complicated,” Kirk said. “And no, we don’t know King Alfred. Right now, we’re merely trying to make our way back home.”  
One by one, men and boys from the village took the horses outside.  
“You will need food and provisions for your journey,” Agnes said to the Starfleet officers. “We can give you meat, vegetables, and bread.”  
“Thank you, ma’am. We heartily appreciate that” Charles said. “Perhaps you’re a far back ancestor of mine. It would be interesting to do the genealogy.”  
Kirk got onto a greyish horse with spots.  
“We can’t thank you enough, Stephen.”  
“We thank you even more for the silver and gold,” Stephen said. “Have a safe journey, Captain. Just one thing I’ve noticed. You’re not carrying any arms. Hopefully, you realize how dangerous it is out there. I know you’re not Danes. You have the appearance of Saxons.”  
“Yes, I’m of Saxon descent,” Kirk said before producing a phaser. “You don’t need swords when you have these.”


	7. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhtred interrogates Chekov, who continues to insist he is telling the truth. Meanwhile, Danish forces led by Ragnar the Younger sack the coast of East Anglia and make plans to subjugate the entire kingdom before moving onto Wessex.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
The dim light of shimmering candles cast a pall upon the damp, moldy walls of the city dungeon. Two helmeted soldiers accompanied Uhtred through the dismal corridor. A gaoler stood up from his stool as Uhtred approached.   
“Greetings, my Lord.” He went about unlocking the gate to the cells before pointing the way.  
The dark, forlorn eyes of prisoners paid little heed to the king’s commander. At the very end of the corridor sat the mysterious man with the strangest accent Uhtred had ever heard.   
“You say your name is Chekov. Is that correct?”  
Chekov was half – asleep. Groggily, he got up from his straw bed and came toward the cell door.   
“Lieutenant Pavel Chekov. USS Enterprise.”  
“Lieutenant Chekov, what gave you a reason to believe that Aethelflaed’s life was in danger?” Uhtred asked in an interrogative manner.   
“Aethel…?”  
“The princess. The king’s daughter.”  
“I had a vision while on the ship. Danes. They were going to kidnap her,” he explained.   
The gaoler turned to Uhtred with a disgusted expression.  
“My Lord, he has gone mad. Either that or the Danes are using him as a spy. Has His Majesty decided what will be done with him?”  
Uhtred shook his head.   
“No, he hasn’t. John, judging by his accent, would you even care to speculate where he may have come from?”  
“Sounds like he could be from the East. The Rus people,” the gaoler replied.   
“I’ve heard Alfred speak of them,” Uhtred said. “They are related to the Vikings. Keep him under a watchful eye until we discover what to do with him.”  
“Yes, my Lord.”  
*****  
The sound of swords clanging. Most likely the first thing Uhtred had heard as a child. He walked through the courtyard of the king’s palace where the young Prince Edward was mastering the art of swordsmanship. Edward took a break, handing his sword to a soldier who’d been tasked with training him.  
“Uhtred. How are you?”  
“I’ll be better when I find out exactly who that strange man is in the dungeon.”  
“Father spoke of him this morning. Chekov is his name. He isn’t sure if he should execute him or not.”  
“That will be his decision – and his alone.”  
Two guards stepped aside as Uhtred entered the palace. To his surprise, Alfred was not in his chambers but was instead in the office where his scribes and translators worked.   
“Uhtred, still nothing new from that mysterious man locked away in my dungeon?”  
“I’m afraid not, my Lord. As you said earlier, he has the appearance of a Rus. They are related to the Nordic peoples.”  
Alfred nodded.   
“My final decision has not yet been made. Uhtred, I believe God sent you to me for a reason. You may be part Saxon, part Dane. It matters not. You have proven yourself to be one of my best – if not the best – commander in my army. You have such a drive and determination to wipe out the Viking menace, which has terrorized England since the first ships burned and pillaged that monastery in Lindisfarne in 793. All those poor, defenseless Christian brothers. Good men of God. Killed by a bunch of marauding Pagans!”  
“Lord King, I want nothing to do with their culture or unholy ways. And, like you, I dream of a united England. As far as this Chekov is concerned, we will continue to interrogate him. Something inside of me says that he is not a danger to you or the royal family.”  
“Seriously?”  
“I also have reason to believe that he didn’t come here alone.”  
COAST OF EAST ANGLIA  
Ragnar the Younger believed that only one race of people was worthy enough to control the riches of Europe. And, since the Nordic tribes were the hardiest, most resilient and fearless warriors on the continent, it only made sense that they are given free rein.   
Those ships with the animal heads must have been designed specifically to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who would even think of resisting the all-powerful might of the Danes. Another raid had brought with it the sacking of a seaside village as well as gold and women.   
Ragnar entered the monastery where a large group of his fellow Danes collected all the gold and silver chalices, plates, and currency they could find. Twenty monks were on their knees on the floor. Many had swords and axes to their backs.   
“Where is the abbot?” Ragnar inquired.   
The monks stayed silent, trembling in silent fear.   
“I’m going to ask again; where is your Abbot? His name is Aelfheah, and he is a close confidante of the king of East Anglia.” Ragnar was losing patience.  
“My Lord, he is not here,” said an elderly monk.   
Ragnar flew into a rage, drew his sword, and struck the man down. Blood flew wildly onto the floor and walls.   
Ragnar nodded to the other Viking warriors, who smiled with almost sadistic pleasure.   
One by one, the Vikings went about hacking and slashing their victims to death. The horrific screams and cries of the Christian brothers caused a considerable choir-like echo in the high – ceilinged chapel. Ragnar went outside, where a group of captured women and girls was being led to waiting ships.   
“Where will they be going?” Ragnar asked Erik and Siegfried, who oversaw the captives.   
“To Ukraine,” Erik replied. “Very long journey through the waterways of Eastern Europe. I’ve done it a few times.”  
“I hear there are many good markets in Ukraine,” Ragnar said. “Spices. Foods. Luxury items from the Far East even.”  
“Yes, there is, my friend. Say, once we’ve secured the coast of East Anglia, it shouldn’t be too hard to take the rest of the kingdom.”  
“No, I don’t imagine it will be.”


	8. WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SUMMARY  
> Aethelflaed is being escorted to Mercia when the group is ambushed by a Danish raiding party led by Ragnar the younger. She escapes into the woods and is rescued by the Starfleet officers.

KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Aethelflaed felt apprehensive about meeting her future husband. An even more burning question that swirled around inside her head was ‘will I even love him?’ Is this merely a marriage of convenience initiated by my father, to ally with the Mercians? Worse still, she’d never actually met this Aethelred, and knew next to nothing about him.  
The princess was flanked by soldiers who rode close to her. They were her protection from all the unseen dangers that lurked within this vast region of forests, hills, and farms. Unfortunately, a small squad of Wessex troops would in all likelihood be no match for a horde of bloodthirsty Danes, who would surely take her hostage and kill everyone else.  
“Sergeant Williamson, I would like to stop soon for a short reprieve,” she said to the soldier riding closest to her. “My back gives me great bother.”  
“As you wish, my lady,” the sergeant said. “How about up ahead here? In this meadow?”  
“That suits me just fine,” Aethelflaed replied.  
*****  
“I have to question as to whether we are truly making progress, or merely walking in circles getting ourselves more lost,” Bones said tiredly.  
The Enterprise officers rode at a slow pace through a pine forest. Bright afternoon sunlight penetrated through the thick forest canopy.  
“Emma, how far away is Winchester?” Kirk asked.  
“Captain, you still have your mind set on petitioning a medieval king for assistance?” Spock asked. “Considering the hair-trigger temperament many of these rulers are notorious throughout history for, going to Alfred the Great and explaining to him that we are time travelers and need to get back to the 23rd century is more than a bit illogical, in my opinion.”  
“Well Spock, what else would do you suggest? Kirk answered. “We have no other options.”  
“We can be in Winchester by evening,” Emma said.  
“That’s reassuring news,” Uhura said. “I wonder how Alfred will receive an African – American woman from the future as well as a Vulcan.”  
Kirk turned to Spock and smirked.  
“I’m thinking that we can tell the lord king that you’re Chinese. Hey, it’s worth a shot,” Kirk said. “And, as far as Africans go, by this time in history, due to heavy Roman colonization in this part of the world throughout the previous few centuries, there were many as the locals would say ‘black people’ in Europe. You should be fine, lieutenant. Besides, you can speak their languages, am I correct?”  
“You’re referring to Latin and old English – Saxon dialects, Sir? I took courses in those languages at the academy.”  
*****  
Ragnar and Erik crouched amongst a thick cluster of bushes with a contingent of Danish warriors. In the valley below, Aethelflead and two of her female servants had a picnic while the soldiers formed a wall around them.  
“I say we strike now!” Erik said excitedly in a low voice. “They’ll never know what hit them.”  
“They’re only stopping for a short while,” Ragnar said.  
“Where do you think they are headed to?” asked Erik.  
“I’m not completely sure. Perhaps Mercia. It doesn’t matter, does it? Cnut will be arriving soon, and he’ll be most happy if we apprehend the princess. We’ll take them by surprise once they are back in the forest. We’ll follow them for a while.”  
*****  
Williamson stayed by Aethelflead’s side as the group rode out of the valley into a seemingly unending expanse of forest.  
“Sergeant, have you ever met the King of Mercia?”  
“No, my lady. I can’t say that I have.”  
Like a bolt out of the blue, an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck down a young soldier riding near the front of the line. Another arrow sailed past the princess and struck down Sergeant Williamson.  
A mass of Vikings charged out of the forest and attacked the Saxons. The smaller number of Saxon troops put up as good of a fight as they could but soon found themselves overwhelmed. Two Danes grabbed Aethelflead’s servant Agnes off her horse and took turns violating her before driving a sword through the screaming young woman’s stomach.  
“Grab her!” Ragnar ordered.  
Four Danes rushed toward the princess, who, already having been knocked from her horse, fled into the forest.  
*****  
“Turns out I wasn’t as much of a cowboy as I originally thought,” Kirk said as he walked along holding the reins of his horse.  
“You did just fine, Sir,” Charles said. “You’d be welcome with open arms in Texas.”  
Just then, Spock heard what sounded like an animal rushing through the forest. It was loud – and it was coming towards them.  
“We’re about to have company,” Spock said.  
“Everyone, phasers set to stun,” Kirk ordered.  
A woman who appeared to be in her early twenties rushed out of the forest. She stopped dead in her tracks upon running headlong into the Enterprise officers. Her heartbeat madly. She was nearly out of breath.  
“It’s the Lady Aethelflead,” Emma proclaimed happily.  
“The Lady who?” Perrin asked.  
“The Princess. The daughter of Alfred and Aelswith.”  
Kirk’s blood ran cold at the sight of at least two dozen Vikings charging through the woods. The Enterprise officers raised their phasers. Aethelflead looked at her pursuers with pure horror, then back to Kirk.  
Who are these strange people, and why are they traveling with a Saxon girl?  
Ragnar screamed wildly as the Danes made a run for the princess. A spear was thrown at Fritz and stabbed through his chest.  
“Now!” Kirk yelled.  
Suddenly, as they charged forward, many of the Danes were struck by what looked like blasts of lightning, which caused them to freeze like statues. Ragnar couldn’t believe what his eyes were showing him. For once in his life, the fearless Dane warrior felt scared.  
“Retreat! Retreat!” he shouted.  
The Danes quickly ran away.  
Aethelflead, exhausted, collapsed to the ground. Emma and Bones rushed to her aid.  
“She’s completely exhausted, but otherwise she’s fine,” Bones said.  
Emma helped the frightened and tired princess to her feet.  
“Your Highness, my name is Emma. These folks helped me after my village was destroyed by the Danes.”  
Aethelflead studied the Starfleet officers.  
“Captain, about going to Winchester, I believe we’ve just found a way in that doesn’t involve being beheaded for burned at the stake,” Spock said.  
“You’ve just read my mind, Mr. Spock.”  
“Your Royal Highness, my name is James Tiberius Kirk.”  
“Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Kirk. You aren’t going to Mercia, by any chance, are you?”  
“It isn’t on my itinerary,” Kirk replied. “But we will take you safely to Winchester.”  
Aethelflead studied the frozen bodies of the Vikings.  
“What….are they dead?”  
“No, Your Highness,” Uhura answered. “Our phasers were set to stun. They’ll come out of that within an hour or so.”  
The princess turned to Kirk.  
“We mustn’t alter the timeline any more than necessary,” he said. “You’ll know about this later.”


	9. WESSEX COAST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cnut arrives in Wessex and is very displeased that his subordinates were unable to capture Aethelflead. Meanwhile, Sulu is frustrated and unsure of what to do as the Enterprise orbits the surface of the planet where Kirk and the other Enterprise officers disappeared. Aethelflead heads to Winchester with the Starfleet officers.

WESSEX COAST  
The calm waters of the south coast of England were in such sharp contrast to the choppy, frequently volatile seas of the North. Cnut stood at the front of the Oseberg vessel that had departed from Denmark weeks earlier. With so many tiny kingdoms divided and isolated from one another, it would not be long before the entire island was in Dane's hands.  
Cnut’s fellow warriors rowed with energetic vigor. Salisbury. Another seaside village that now belonged to the Danes. The men kept rowing until they were in the harbor. The local church was a smoking, charred wreck, as were several buildings and houses in Salisbury. Cnut stepped into the knee-deep water and made his way to shore.  
“My Lord.” Ragnar wore a beaming grin. “Welcome to Salisbury.”  
As expected, the often - crusty Cnut was in another of his belligerent frames of mind. Seeing the bodies of three Danes being loaded onto a pyre didn’t help.  
“You’ve had a bit more resistance than usual, I see.”  
“Unfortunately, yes. These men were ambushed as they went into a row of houses,” Erik explained as he joined his fellow Dane leaders.  
Cnut looked around at the activity taking place in Salisbury. Villagers who’d been spared were chained up while a row of women and girls in bondage were escorted to ships.  
“My Lord. In the interim, our headquarters is based in the priory of the former church,” Erik stated. “We spared the building for that purpose.”  
“Good. Because I have to have a stern talk with you morons.”  
As Ragnar and Erik followed the supreme Viking leader toward the brick priory, both knew they were in for the verbal assault of a lifetime.  
Once inside, Cnut turned to his subordinates with eyes of rage.  
“It has come to my attention that you and your men ran away like cowards with your tails between your legs when you were this goddamn close to getting Alfred’s daughter!”  
Ragnar and Erik both went to speak but were stopped short.  
“How do I know this? Let’s just say bad news travels fast.” Cnut, who was in the early stages of flying into a rage, slammed his fist on a table. “You never show fear to a Saxon, lest they take advantage of you!”  
“My Lord, with all due respect, these were not Saxons,” Ragnar affirmed.  
Cnut looked at him strangely.  
“What were they? Welshmen?”  
Ragnar and Erik shook their heads.  
“The princess ran off. We gave chase through the forest. When we reached the end, there she was with a group of about eight men and women,” Ragnar elucidated. “The clothing they wore – quite frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it. They wore no armor, nor did they carry weapons, except for these strange things that shot bolts of lightning.”  
“Bolts of lightning? But none of your men were killed.”  
“That’s right,” Erik said. “They were stunned frozen for about an hour then came back to life.”  
Cnut was more than baffled.  
“This is beyond all my understanding. You just better be telling the truth.”  
“We are,” Ragnar said. “I promise you, we are.”  
IN OUTER SPACE  
The USS Enterprise circled around the orbit of the unknown planet.  
ON THE ENTERPRISE  
Never before in this career had Hikaru Sulu faced such a grave, uncertain situation. How in the name of science did most of the bridge crew simply vanish into thin air? There was simply no explanation for this. The bridge was unusually quiet. Eerily quiet, for that matter. It bothered Sulu deeply.  
Sulu sat in his usual seat. He was at a loss to understand just what he was supposed to do in this situation. In all reality, what could he do? Officers from other sections of the ship had been ordered to fill in for Kirk and the others. For the time being, Sulu was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. Scotty sat behind him, also at a loss with regards to what he should be doing.  
“It’s an awful quagmire, isn’t it, Sir?”  
“Yes, it is, Scotty.” Sulu swiveled around in this leather chair. “And just what kind of report am I supposed to write up for Starfleet command if and when they don’t return? I don’t suppose you have any suggestions?”  
“Well Sir, it might be beneficial to send a search party down there. As Mr. Spock would say, logically, that is probably the best course of action to take.  
“I can’t even communicate with Captain Kirk.” Sulu sighed in agonizing frustration. “It’s getting to me.”  
“You have to keep your head about you, Sir,” Scotty said. “Otherwise, we’re all in trouble.”  
WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
A damp, forlorn wind blew across the fields and woodlands outside of Winchester. From the moment she’d departed the city of her childhood and youth, Alfred couldn’t stop thinking about Aethelflead. Surely, God had kept her safe during the journey, which promised to be perilous. Alfred walked around Winchester, receiving greetings from his subjects as he went along.  
“Lord king, in hindsight, I wish you would have nominated me to escort your daughter to Mercia”, said Uhtred, who had just walked down the stone steps from the main entrance tower.  
“I need you here more,” Alfred stated. “I don’t like to repeat myself, but you’re one of my best commanders. But hey, you already know that.”  
*****  
There had been a little conversation between Aethelflead and her rescuers during the journey through the English countryside. The exception had been with Kirk, who rode with the young princess sitting in front of him. She had a wholesomeness about her, an alluring appearance that caused Kirk to feel a strange attraction to the historical figure.  
As the high walls of Winchester came into view, Kirk wondered that services time travelers could offer a Medieval king. Considering most of the crew were modern scientists and engineers, it might be easy to make friends with the king as well as local noblemen. An obvious service would be medical treatment. That is where Bones came in. Heaven forbid if they were not able to get back to the 23rd Century….Kirk decided it was best not to think about that. He had enough stressful things on his mind as it was.  
“Aethelflead, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that your parents will be as receptive of us as you say they are,” Kirk said.  
During the trip, Aethelflead understood some of their English, but it was a strange dialect, one that was next to impossible to understand – particularly some of their sayings and expressions.  
“Don’t worry about it, James.”  
*****  
Uhtred Ragnarson was confused by what he saw. Why was Aethelflead returning to Winchester? Secondly, accompanied by a group wearing those costumes.  
“My Lord, your presence is requested on the tower,” a guard said to Alfred.  
Alfred wasted no time rushing up the stairs. Archers aimed their sights at the Starfleet officers.  
“Stop. Do not go any further!”  
They stopped.  
“Aethelflead! What in the name of God is happening?” Alfred was knocked for six. “Why aren’t you in Mercia?”  
“Father, they were all killed. The only reason the Danes did not take me is because of these men and women. This is their leader, James Kirk,” the princess explained.  
Alfred focused his dark, intense eyes on Kirk.  
“Which kingdom are you from?”  
“Your Majesty, we come from across the ocean. If you will give myself and my officers an audience, we will be most grateful and explain who we are.”  
Aelswith stood next to her husband.  
“Alfred, this could be another trap initiated by the Danes,” she said in a serious tone. “They are dressed in the very same britches as that man who is locked up in our dungeon. We cannot take any chances.”  
“Aelswith, if these people were any kind of a threat, don’t you think they would have harmed our daughter? Instead, she is alive or hasn’t been sold into sexual slavery because of them,” Alfred said.  
Aelswith contemplated on this.  
“I suppose you’re right.” Aelswith turned to a sergeant. “Sergeant Thomas, open the gate.”  
The sergeant nodded.  
“Yes ma’am.”


	10. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred interrogates the newly – arrived Starfleet officers then releases Chekov from the dungeon.

SUMMARY  
Alfred interrogates the newly – arrived Starfleet officers then releases Chekov from the dungeon.   
WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
The Federation officers proceeded through the main entrance of the walled, medieval city, curious eyes of townsfolk and suspicious eyes of guards watching their every move. Kirk took in the rustic setting. It was so surreal. Years earlier, when he was a cadet at Starfleet Academy, never in his wildest imagination would the Enterprise captain believe he’d be thrust back in time to the Dark Ages. It was widely debated as to whether time travel was even possible. Well, they’d just been given their answer.   
“Stop. Do not go any further,” commanded an unkempt, unshaven guard whose stench could be smelled a mile away.   
Kirk motioned for his subordinates to stop. A cluster of guards kept their spears trained on the visitors while Alfred examined them. Most had the appearance of Saxons or a related ethnicity. But why was an African woman with the group as well as a young Saxon girl?  
“So, you’re the leader?” Alfred asked Kirk.   
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kirk replied, nodding.   
“James Kirk. Sounds slightly Scottish.”  
“I would be of Scottish extraction if you went back far enough, I suppose.”  
Alfred turned to Uhtred, Finan, and two of his army commanders.   
“Escort Mr. Kirk and his friends to the palace. The lounge closest to my chambers,” Alfred ordered before turning to Aethelflead. “Your mother and I are going to talk with you. Bishop Erkenwald and Father Beocca will also be joining us.”  
*****  
Alfred remained skeptical – and for good reason. Aethelflead was concerned that she might not be able to convince her parents that these strangers who saved her life were legitimate.  
“I truly hoped that you would have arrived in Mercia by now and become acquainted with your future husband,” the king of Wessex said.   
“As did I, father.”  
Alfred circled the room while the parish priest and bishop stood off to one side.   
“To the best of your knowledge, do you remember where this attack took place?”   
“It was in the forest. I had convinced Sergeant Williamson to allow us to have a short rest in a valley. Perhaps the Danes had been watching us the entire time, as the ambush happened not long afterward.”  
“Aethelflead, after you got away from the Danes, what exactly happened next?” asked Aelswith.   
“James Kirk and his friends were standing there with their horses. I’m thinking maybe they were resting as well. As the Danes reached the edge of the forest, the Enterprise officers---  
“Enterprise officers, my lady?” Erkenwald inquired.   
“That’s the name of their ship. Please, let me continue. As I was about to say, Kirk’s men and women loosed these what looked like bolts of lightning upon the Danes. These beams – or whatever they are – did not kill our enemies, but merely stunned them temporarily. That’s according to James.”  
Alfred’s open expression of confusion and suspicion was not lost upon his religious advisors.   
“Something is not adding up here,” the king said. “They have no weapons, no armor, but yet they have this ability to strike down people as though they were God.”  
“My Lord, we must be careful,” Beocca stated. “This James Kirk and his band of followers could very well be an instrument of the Devil. As you say, there is something weird taking place here. If you notice the clothing they wear, it’s the same as that worn by the man in the dungeon.”  
“I forget his name,” Alfred said. “Pav…?”  
“Pavel Chekov, my Lord,” Erkenwald replied. “I believe he is Russian.”  
“Have Kirk and the others locked in the dungeon,” the king said. “I may sign their death warrants sooner than thought.”  
Frightened and angry, Aethelflead obstructed her father.   
“Father, no. you don’t understand. James is a good man. He isn’t in league with the Devil,” she pleased. “Think about it. If it wasn’t for those people, you would in all likelihood never see me again. There would be no alliance with Mercia – at least not in the way you wanted it to.”  
Alfred mulled over what his daughter was communicating to him.   
“Even Uhtred does not see them as a threat to Wessex,” Aethelflead continued.   
“She does make a strong point, my Lord,” Beocca stated. “We have enough on our hands as it is trying to keep the Danes out of Winchester. They could become our allies.”  
“Fine,” Alfred said reluctantly. “But I still want to speak with Kirk myself.”  
*****  
A tense silence hung in the air. Kirk and the Enterprise officers sat in a row in the lounge. Paintings and statues adorned the walls.   
“I feel like I’m back in grade school,” Bones said. “After a schoolyard fight. And a whole bunch of us are sitting in the hallway outside the principal’s office waiting for our turn to be lambasted either verbally or physically.”  
“You were a bit of a hellion as well in school, were you Bones?” Kirk said. “I remember those days as though they were yesterday.”  
“The educational systems on the planet Vulcan – at least when I was growing up – were considerably different than those of our Earthly counterparts,” Spock said. “I, like many of my peers, attended the Vulcan Learning Center. We stood in skill domes that displayed information, and we had to answer automated questions. You probably heard this story before, but I was the target of bullies who nearly drove up insane trying to elicit a response from me. Most Vulcans find emotions to be illogical and a waste of thought and headspace. Kind of funny, there was one time when they did succeed in getting an emotional response out of me. But it didn’t get too well for the particular bully, as I beat the living shit out of him.”  
“The Vulcan Learning Centre. Didn’t Michelle Burnham attend there?” Uhura asked.  
“Yes, lieutenant. She was the first human to do so. Unfortunately, the logic extremists didn’t take too kindly to a human attending the school, so they tried to kill her by bombing the facility,” Spock explained.   
Two guards entered the lounge.  
“The king will see you now,” one of them stated.   
The Federation officers followed the guards into Alfred’s throne room.   
“You probably felt I was being rather hostile toward you,” Alfred said. “I didn’t mean anything by it, but we are in a very high alert situation, as you can probably tell.”  
“It’s alright, Your Majesty,” Spock said. “It would be most illogical not to feel that way.”  
Alfred emerged from his throne and came up to Spock.   
“Your features. They are no European, am I right?”  
“Sire, my friend here is Chinese,” Kirk said.   
“Chinese?” Alfred was astounded.   
“From the Far East of the world, My Lord,” Beocca said. “Asia. During the early church, there were trade routes opened to China. That is how Christianity spread. Of course, the early Chinese church was rather heretical in many of its doctrines. The Nestorians.”  
“Yes, I have heard of them,” Alfred said. “That little girl, Emma. She told me that her village was burned to the ground. Cursed, ungodly Danes!” Alfred felt his blood pressure rising. “Mr. Kirk, I misread you, and I do apologize for that. You and your friends are as welcome here as the Angel Gabriel. One thing though I must point out. There is a man whom we believe to be of Russian extraction in my dungeon at the moment. And, he just so happens to be dressed the same way as you.”  
Alarm bells went off inside of Kirk’s head. No way he was talking about….  
“Does the name Pavel Chekov mean anything to you?”  
“He happens to be the navigator of the Enterprise,” Kirk replied.   
“Uhtred and Finan found your colleague wandering around the forest outside of Winchester in a delusional state. He claimed that my daughter was in grave danger and, as it turns out, he was right. Do you have any idea why Chekov was acting that way?”  
“Our ship got caught up in turbulence in the ocean,” Bones said. “The helmsmen of the Enterprise, Sulu, was knocked out. Chekov assisted me to give Mr. Sulu a shot of cordrazine, which by the way is a very dangerous drug. Anyway, Mr. Chekov accidentally injected himself with the drug, which made him delusional and paranoid.”  
“What is your name, Sir?” Beocca asked.  
“Leonard McCoy. Chief medical officer of the Enterprise. But everyone just calls me Bones.”  
“You’re a physician?” Alfred’s eyes went wide with delight.  
“Yes, Your Majesty, I am.”  
“Mr. Kirk, would you and your friends be so kind as to follow me to the dungeon? Your friend is about to be released.”  
*****  
Chekov was beyond excited when he saw Kirk and his fellow Starfleet officers.   
“Captain, I can’t believe it’s you,” he said in his thick Russian accent. “I thought I was lost here forever.”  
“That may still happen,” Kirk said. “We’re still working on a way of getting back.”


	11. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk is introduced to Uhtred and Finan. As a plague-like sickness sweeps through Winchester, Bones offers his medical services.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Kirk felt like he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.   
“I’ve woken up in a guestroom in the king’s palace in 9th Century England?”  
He sat up and snapped himself out of his daze. This was a reality. No sooner had Kirk gotten dressed when he received a knock at the door.   
“That has to be one of the royal servants summoning me to breakfast…”  
The angelic face of Aethelflead greeted him. He’d never woken to something so beautiful in a long time.   
“Good morning Mr. Kirk.”  
“Good morning, your royal highness.”  
“You may call me Aethelflead. Is it alright if I call you James?”  
“Of course.”  
“James, did you sleep well last night?”  
“Considering this is my first…” Kirk stopped himself right here. It was too early to give away too much information about who he and his comrades were. “What I meant to say is, it’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”  
“Father and mother invite you and your fellow travelers to breakfast,” she said. “Some of your friends have already eaten and are exploring Winchester.”  
Kirk closed over the door and stepped into the hallway just as Chekov and Spock emerged from their rooms.   
“Good morning, Captain,” Spock said. “If there is one thing I’ve always admired, it’s having the opportunity to explore living history.”  
“I take it your night was pleasant as well, Mr. Spock,” Kirk said.   
“Most pleasant.” Spock produced a faint but polite smile. “Your Highness.”  
Aethelflead nodded.  
“Hello, Mr. Spock.”  
Chekov yawned. He continued to be worn out from the time and spent in the dungeon. The effects of the cordrazine were only beginning to wear off.  
“Mr. Chekov, you’re looking better,” Kirk said.   
“I’m feeling better too Sir. Oy, what a crazy whirlwind that experience was. Never want to go through that again.”  
“I don’t blame you.” Kirk turned to Aethelflead. “Let’s go eat, shall we?”  
*****  
Kirk, Spock, Chekov, and Aethelflead walked into the great hall. Various courtiers, servants, and soldiers helped themselves to tables full of beans, eggs, oats, brown bread, bacon, cheese, poultry, milk, ale, and eels.   
“Good morning Mr. Kirk.”  
Alfred walked over and shook hands with the Enterprise commander.   
“Nice to see you again. Please, help yourself to whatever you like.”  
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Kirk replied.   
Kirk and his subordinates gathered up heaping portions of food onto their plates.  
“It’s quite different from the diet we have on Vulcan,” Spock said. “Of course, having lived in the human world for so long, I can say I’m used to your food.”  
“What exactly are Vulcan foods,” Chekov asked.  
“Gespar, Jumbo mollusk, Plomeek soup, also know as Plomeek broth, Pok tar, and Redspice. As far as beverages are concerned, we drink brandy, Mocha, Plomeek tea, Port, Spice tea and Tea,” Spock explained as they went to sit down close to the king and queen.   
“This is a very good meal,” Kirk said as he hoed into the eggs and brown bread, which tasted as though it had recently emerged from an oven.   
As they ate, Aethelflead came over with two men who exemplified the Medieval warrior.   
“James, I’m not sure if you were ever formally introduced to Uhtred and Finan.”  
“James Kirk.” Kirk shook hands with the men. “These are my officers, Mr. Spock and Mr. Chekov.”  
“Uhtred, are you a lord?” Spock asked.   
“Yes, I am. If you can believe it, I am half Saxon and half Dane. I’m originally from Bebbanburg, which is up north. As a child, I was kidnapped by Vikings. They trained me to be a warrior, but I could never turn my back on King Alfred and the Saxon people.”  
“Finan. That sounds Irish,” Kirk said. “I take it you and Uhtred are officers in the king’s army.”  
“We are,” Finan replied in his deep Irish brogue. “And yes, I am from the Emerald Isle. You seem to know a lot about Ireland. Have you been there?”  
Kirk nodded.   
“Several times.” He turned back to his meal.   
******  
Bones, Uhura, Perrin, and Charles walked through the bustling streets of Winchester.   
Bones couldn’t help but feel slightly unnerved by the uncleanliness and dirtiness in which the city reeked of.  
“As a doctor, well, let’s just say if I had my druthers, this place would be condemned,” Bones stated. “My God, how can people----?”  
“As you know Sir, I’m a major history buff,” Charles stated. “It was by far my best subject in school. And one that I majored in at Starfleet Academy. It took many centuries for our ancestors to learn that proper hygiene prevents disease. Unfortunately, they had to learn the hard way.”  
As he traveled throughout Winchester, Bones noticed some residents who were very ill and openly displayed fever-like symptoms. The Federation officers inadvertently found themselves near the local nunnery, which seemed to double as a hospital.   
Hild and several religious sisters did their best to treat people of various ages who seemed to be sick and dying from what Bones feared was a plague.   
“Sister, is there anything I can do to help you?” he asked.  
Hild looked at him with suspicion.   
“There is nothing any of you can do,” the head nun stated. “This sickness that has been spreading around the land affects sinners. Are you a sinner?”  
“I’m not sure how to answer that. Growing up in Atlanta, I attended mass – I was an altar boy even. I must admit that I am not a huge fan of organized religion. Sister, may I be so bold as to say that sometimes faith and religion does not offer the same answers as medical science?”  
Hild scowled at the Enterprise’s chief medical officer.  
“Sister, if you will excuse us for a moment,” Charles said with a smile.  
Charles, Perrin, and Uhura took Bones aside.   
“Sir, I don’t mean to speak out of line, but setting yourself up as a medical expert at this particular time in history is not such a great plan,” Charles said. “First of all, you will soon find yourself in opposition to the dominant medical experts of the time. And, if you fail to produce the desired income, what these local physicians see as your unconventional practice will be used against you. Heck, some of these medieval kings were also known to behead doctors, even close friends. Furthermore, the last thing we need right now is to be accused of witchcraft or sorcery.”  
“Lieutenant, do you not think I understand this? I also know that the scientific method was not understood in the ninth century. What I am going to do – provided I have permission from the king – is to utilize the technology of this era, mainly bloodlettings, but also supplement them with curatives of my design that I won’t divulge to our guests.” Bones turned back to Hild.   
“You are a physician, are you not?” she asked.   
“Yes, I am, sister.”  
“Well then, you can get to work right away.”


	12. ON THE USS ENTERPRISE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sulu orders a team of marines to land on the unknown planet where Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Chekov, Charles, Perrin, and Fritz had disappeared. He’s beyond shocked when he discovers the truth.

ONBOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE  
“My decision is final. There’s no going back now.”  
To date, this decision had been the most crucial of Lt. Commander Hikaru Sulu’s career as a Starfleet officer. An unnerving sensation of dread formed in the bottom of his stomach as he thought about the prospect of Kirk and his fellow officers disappearing forever into whatever wastes and dangers lay far below on that planet.   
Space marines. A recent concoction of the U.S. Department of Defense. Ten times the skill of regular security officers and trained to kill both humans and non – humans in about a thousand different methods. And an entire platoon of his intergalactic jarheads had recently been assigned to the Enterprise.   
“Sir, I did as you ordered. I went over every last detail on those shuttlecrafts. They’re as good as the day they came off the assembly line,” Scotty explained.   
“Thank you, Scotty. Speaking of which, I better get down there ASAP.”  
LANDING BAY  
Twelve battle-hardened, daring brutes who looked like they could do a considerable amount of damage with just their hands and feet stood in two lines in front of a gunnery sergeant named Robinson.   
“Officer on deck!” Robinson yelled as his men became ramrod straight.   
Sulu examined the marines. These space fighters were the real deal.   
“Good afternoon, gunnery sergeant.”  
“Good afternoon, Sir.”  
“Just out of curiosity, would you say these are your best men?”   
“Every man in this platoon is equally as dangerous and crazy. If that’s what you’re asking, Sir. Commander, if Captain Kirk is down there, we’ll find him, regardless of how many obstacles get in our way.”  
“I must say, I feel a sense of reassurance,” Sulu replied. “Carry on, gunnery sergeant. Keep in continual contact.”  
“Aye, Aye Sir,” Robinson replied while his marines filed into one of the shuttlecrafts. Its name was Daisy Lane.

“Sir, can I ask you to step out of the spaceport?” said a hefty young member of the flight deck operations staff. “We’re getting ready to send the marines out into space.”  
Sulu had nearly forgotten.  
“Oh, yes. Of course.”  
Sulu went into a lounge-type area. The airlock opened. Slowly, but surely, the Daisy Lane picked up and flew out into the vast emptiness of space. Sulu watched as the marines charted their course directly toward the brownish unknown planet. He said a silent prayer that no harm would come to them.  
ON THE UNKNOWN PLANET  
A corporal named Benson piloted the shuttlecraft through the event horizon into the planet’s atmosphere. The first thing that came to mind when he saw the landscape was Arizona. After landing, the marines soon found the realm of barren wasteland to be every bit as hot and stifling as the Grand Canyon State.   
Robinson found himself almost overwhelmed by the heat but shrugged it off. Marines were conditioned to operate in any type of climate or terrain. If necessary, they could shut off the minor inconvenience until their mission was accomplished.   
Assault rifles raised, they spread out in a phalanx – like formation. They kept an eye out for pieces of clothing, belongings, anything that the missing members of the Enterprise might have dropped.   
How in the Hell did they just vanish into thin air? It just didn’t make any sense whatsoever.   
The marines continued trekking through the burning midday heat for another twenty minutes before stumbling upon a stone archway that was another reminder of the Sonora Desert.   
“It’s just like some kind of parallel universe,” said a private named Marx. “But only empty.   
Robinson nodded to his subordinate.   
“You’re walking point, Marx,” he said in a low voice.   
Marx went ahead. The adventurous youngster laughed in the face of fear and pain. In other words, he fit in perfectly.   
Marx went up to the archway. For an instant, he flinched as the natural formation glowed a bright red.   
“What the actual fuck!?”  
Then a booming, God-like voice spoke.  
“I know why you are here,” it said.   
“Yeah, if you know, you mind telling us about the whereabouts of Captain James Kirk and the officers from the USS Enterprise who vanished without a trace when they landed on this godforsaken planet?” Robinson asked in his usual short, angry tone.   
“Captain Kirk is not here. To be honest, Kirk and his officers have gone back time.”  
The marines looked at each other as if they were all collectively questioning their sanities. A talking rock that glows? They weren’t on drugs, so something bizarre was taking place.   
“Back in time?” Robinson shot back. “And just how the hell are you?”  
“I am the Guardian of Time. A member of your crew, a Lieutenant Chekov, found his way to this planet, whose official name is Arissona. He went through a time portal. Kirk and the others went in after him,” the Guardian of Time explained.   
“Well, we’ve been ordered to take Captain Kirk and his officers back to the Enterprise,” Robinson said. “And, I suppose if we have to go back time, that’s just what we’ll do.”  
“I regret to tell you that won’t be possible,” said the Guardian of Time. “The portal is closed. But you may stay here until your compatriots return.”  
When Gunnery Sergeant Bill Robinson became infuriated, you wanted to be in the next room. His temper was more explosive than any weaponry currently possessed by the Marine Corps. To the great surprise of his men, he held his tongue.  
“Could you at least tell us where they went?”  
ONBOARD THE ENTERPRISE  
“Ninth century England!”  
Wow! And Sulu thought he had heard and seen everywhere there was.   
His face a spider’s web of disbelief, shock, and trepidation, he turned to Scotty, who winked and smiled.   
“Maybe Captain Kirk will run into some of my ancestors. This is the ninth century you say? That was when the Vikings occupied and terrorized what we know as the modern-day United Kingdom.”  
Sulu leaned into his headset.   
“Gunnery sergeant, stay put until you’re given further orders.”  
“Aye, Aye Sir.”  
Sulu was knocked for six.  
“I thought I was dreaming when he told me that. How will they ever survive back in those dark, uncivilized times?”  
“You know Captain Kirk. He’s a resilient bugger,” Scotty said. “Bones and Spock are a bonus to the team.”


	13. KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Danes, who have recently sacked the Wessex coastal town of Twynam, begin moving north up the Wilton River with reconnaissance teams. Meanwhile, Kirk heads out on an expedition with Uhtred, Finan, and a small contingent of Saxon troops.

TWYNAM, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Ragnar couldn’t help the reality that the desire to explore, plunder, and take whatever he damn well pleased was deeply entrenched into his DNA. It was instinctive. Another raid on a seaside village netted no shortage of silver, gold, and other valuable commodities. Most of the members of the local monastery were put to death, a nasty side – effect of this job, but nothing more.   
As of two days ago, Twynam was firmly in Dane's hands. And they had every intention of keeping it that way. The Scandinavian warriors worked in shifts to guard the town’s walls and parapets. Although the possibility existed that the Saxons might try launching a raid to take back the town, it wasn’t something that kept Ragnar up all night. Right now, the growing Dane army was more powerful than the forces put together by the various kings who ruled this island.   
Ragnar and Erik looked on while a blacksmith put the finishing touches to brand – new swords which would soon be in their possession. Receiving a new sword – or any weapon, for that matter, - was always a good feeling.   
“Here you are, my friends,” the Danish blacksmith said as he presented the warriors their swords.   
Ragnar and Erik proudly holstered their weapons and walked around the town. Due to its strategic location, Twynam would soon be the Danes’ most important military and trading post. A port with easy access to the English Channel and the rest of Europe. It was already taking on the appearance of a Nordic community with a steady influx of settlers moving in.   
Cnut, Sigfrid, and other commanders stood around a table in the center of Twynam’s former monastery. They looked over a map of Wessex.   
“Ragnar. Erik. Good of you to join us,” Sigfrid said. “Since you will most likely be at the head of the army that sacks Winchester.”  
“You’re planning to take the capital so soon, eh?” Erik asked. “How ambitious of you.”  
“One at a time, like dominoes,” Cnut stated. “First order of business, we destroy Alfred. Then, when that damage is done, Mercia will be next.”  
“My Lord, you seem to have forgotten something that happened which benefited the Wessexians,” Ragnar said.   
Cnut peered at his subordinates with a raised eyebrow.  
“Oh?”  
“Need I remind you that we nearly lost our lives to those strange sorcerers who fired upon us with powerful lightning bolts, or something of that nature,” Erik said. “No doubt, if they indeed saved the king’s daughter, she brought them back to Winchester.”  
Cnut was losing patience.   
“You need to stop with this foolishness! You’re Danes, for crying out loud!” Cnut’s eyes went wide with fury. “Have you lost your balls? Because if so, you better find them….and fast!”  
“Ragnar, I want you to take two groups up the Wilton River,” Sigfrid said. “Travel as far north as you can. That area along the river has not been well – explored to date. I intend to change that.”  
KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
The quietness of the forest could bring about a sense of calm, but also impending doom. Danes had a yen for attacking when you least expected it. They were quiet, stealthy, and sly creatures.   
Uhtred rode at the front of a small group consisting of Finan, eight Saxon soldiers, as well as James Kirk, who had talked the medieval warriors into bringing him along for the excursion. A bright, inviting sun hung over the landscape. Kirk took in his wondrous natural surroundings. It was hard to imagine a time before industrialization, before the world became a hideously polluted place, only to be cleansed and restored to life within the past couple of centuries.   
“Tell me, Mr. Kirk. Is Wessex anything like the land where you hail from?” asked Finan.   
“Well, I suppose it all depends what you’re referring to,” Kirk replied, not wanting to give away any hints that he was from the future. “If you’re asking if we have beautiful landscapes such as this forest, then there are many similarities.”  
The forest road the Saxons and their guest trod along ran parallel to the Wilton River. In the near distance, Finan noticed two vessels moving north. A closer glance revealed that they were Viking ships.   
“Uhtred, we’re about to have some uninvited guests,” said Finan quietly.   
Just then, as if the Danes knew that their enemies were onshore, began sailing in that direction.   
“Do you think they saw us?” asked a young soldier.   
“No, it’s merely a coincidence,” said Kirk, who had drawn his phaser and set to kill.   
Finan looked upon the futuristic weapon with curiosity.  
“James, what you say was the name of that, I don’t even know what you’d call it?”  
“It’s a phaser.” Kirk showed the settings. “See here: you have stun, heat, kill, or disintegrate.”  
Finan was still confused. Whoever this man was, he was way ahead of his time.  
The Viking ships drew closer.   
“We have no other but to wipe out these heathen murderers,” Finan said in almost a whisper.  
Uhtred nodded.  
Ragnar was the first to set foot onshore. Without warning, the Saxons rushed out of the forest, and, within a few seconds, the warriors clashed. A Dane made a charge at Kirk, who shot a hole through his heart. Once they saw what the phaser was capable of, the others backed off. Soon, Ragnar found himself the last man standing. Standing amongst the bodies of his fallen comrades, that is.  
“You! You bastard!” He glared at Kirk with eyes of fire. “I should have killed you back--  
Kirk casually walked over and stood beside the Saxons.   
“To be frank with you, you’d never have gotten the chance,” Kirk said in a cool, confident tone of voice. “As you’ve just seen, these devices are capable of more than merely stunning people.”  
Ragnar’s wild eyes set upon Uhtred.   
“Uhtred, if you spared my life out of feelings of empathy, save your pathetic wimpiness,” Ragnar said. “Dying a warrior’s death is the only true path to Valhalla.”  
“Ragnar, the reason we spared your murdering hide is that I want you to return to whatever village you’ve just sacked and took over and tell your leaders that we will not back down until every Dane has left this island, either willingly, or by way of Valhalla, which by the way, I no longer believe in.”  
“Oh, I forget, you’ve become one of those Christians,” Ragnar smiled mockingly. “In your opinion, am I going to this Hell the Christians speak of?”  
“We’ll allow you to draw your own conclusions there,” Finan said. “Now get as far out of my sight as you can or else you will find yourself in a world of hurt.”  
Ragnar moved toward the ships, then turned, scowling at Kirk.  
“This is not over between us.”  
“Oh, yes, it is. You’re going to lose, and we’re going to win. It’s that simple,” Kirk said.


	14. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hild and the sisters of the convent are impressed with Bones’ medical abilities to save hundreds of residents of Winchester who have contracted the plague sweeping through the kingdom. Uhtred, Finan, Kirk, and the Saxon soldiers return to Winchester.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Bones examined the flush features of a young man who’d been brought into the makeshift infirmary an hour earlier. He recorded a fever of 101. His face was as white as snow. A religious sister grabbed a bowl just as the man was about to vomit.  
‘With all this outdated, primitive technology, just how in the name of God am I supposed to cure all these sick people?’  
Bones was becoming more frustrated. He’d landed in Medieval England in the middle of one of those devastating plagues future citizens of Earth only read about in history books. At the same time, he couldn’t help but notice that he was making progress. The fevers in many of his patients had subsided considerably.   
“Doctor McCoy, I’m still in shock and amazement at your ability to help our fellow citizens of Winchester,” said Hild, who was feeding a sick child. “Some of the sisters have their doubts.”  
“Would you mind clarifying that a bit more, Sister?”  
“Your methods. They’ve never seen them before.”  
“Yeah, I get it. There’s a great deal of superstition.”   
Spock and Chekov entered the infirmary.   
“The captain hasn’t arrived back yet,” Chekov announced. “King Alfred is considering sending out a search party.”  
Bones sighed in aggravated frustration. He found himself starting to burn out.  
“That’s the last thing we need. Losing Jim Kirk way back in the Dark Ages,” the Enterprise doctor said.   
Spock observed the sick and dying.   
“You know, Doctor McCoy, there is one thing I’ve always found perplexing about your planet’s history, and that is the horrific lack of sanitation,” Spock said.  
“Sanitation?” Hild asked.  
“Yes, cleanliness. It wasn’t up until well into the 19th Century that people on planet Earth figured out that filth and germs cause disease. Sister, if I may suggest, this city adopt improvements in soap and overall sanitation. I’ve always found living in filth to be so illogical. Actually, beyond illogical.”  
This was something that had never before crossed Hild’s mind.  
“Mr. Spock, perhaps this is something you could discuss with the king,” she said.   
“That is my intention,” Spock replied.   
All of a sudden, crowds of people started rushing toward the gates of the walled city.   
“I wonder what’s going on?” Bones said.  
“Uhtred has returned,” Hild said with a beaming smile.   
*****  
The heavy wooden doors are opened. Throngs of townsfolk stood by as the warriors rode into the main square of Winchester. Aethelflead smiled in awe of the sight of the handsome man from a strange land who was as intriguing as he was gorgeous. If her parents knew how she felt about James Kirk, they would not be impressed, to say the least.   
“Thank goodness he survived in one piece,” Bones said as he came up behind Aethelflead. “I don’t want to have to think about putting him back together again.”  
“Hello doctor. I’ve been hearing about your abilities to cure the sick amongst us of this terrible plague. Of course, these people – many of them, at least – are terrible sinners.”  
“I don’t want to get into an argument with you or anything like that, Your Highness, but medical science debunks that theory a hundred times over.”  
“Medical science?” she asked, confused.  
“I’ll explain it to you later.”  
Kirk rode up to where the princess and the Enterprise officers were standing.   
“Jim, you’d best be careful,” Bones said. “Alfred might just decide to make you one of his knights.”  
Kirk got off the horse. Aethelflead embraced him.   
“That wouldn’t be so bad,” she said. “He’d make a great knight.”  
“He’s a good warrior, your friend,” Finan said as he slapped Kirk on the shoulder. “Tough as nails. Although I still cannot understand how that weapon works. That phaser or whatever you call it.”  
Spock, Bones, and Uhura looked upon their commanding officer.   
“Captain, please tell me you didn’t----it was you who gave strict orders not to----”  
“Mr. Spock, I had no other choice. It would not have been practical for me to stun an entire horde of these barbarians as they came charging at us with swords, axes, and spears. I only had to take out of the bastards before the others got the message that they’ll never win against 23rd-century technology. Funny enough, I had a not – so – pleasant encounter with their leader, a crazy, wild-eyed Swede who remembered me from the forest and has vowed to take his revenge against me.”  
“Ragnar the Younger,” Uhtred said. “It’s not something I freely admit, but we are related.”  
“You never told me that, although I got the impression that you two knew each other,” Kirk said.   
“Mr. Kirk, I was raised by Danes.”  
“Yes, you told us that,” Uhura said.   
*****  
Bones was exhausted by the time he returned to his room. He collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep for a few hours. When he awoke, he felt recharged and ready to go again. Using whatever materials were available, the Enterprise physician set about constructing a crude optical microscope.   
“Hey Bones, what are working at?” Kirk said as he peered inside the doctor’s room.  
“I’m in the process of designing the first microscope. Whoever would have thought I’d be allowed to change history?”  
“That’s fairly impressive, I must say. You have Galileo Galilei beat by almost a millennium.”


	15. TWYNAM, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ragnar arrives back in Twynam after his entire crew is wiped out. Alfred, under pressure from the local clergy, who believes the unknown methods used by Bones are witchcraft, speaks to the Enterprise doctor.

TWYNAM, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Ragnar knew as soon as he arrived back in Twynam sailing solo he would have his head ripped off figuratively and possibly literally. No sooner had the Dane set foot in the town’s harbor when he was set upon by Cnut and Sigfrid.   
“Ragnar! Ragnar! How many fucking chances do you honestly think we’re going to give you?!” Cnut’s eyes lit up with a fiery rage. “You allowed your entire crew to be wiped out!? How fucking stupid are you?”  
Ragnar remained silent, then thought up the most believable reply he could think of.  
“My Lord, we were sailing north along the Wilton River. We decided to take a rest and explore a heavily forested riverbank. Lo and behold, waiting in that thick foliage to ambush us was a group of Saxons led by none other than Uhtred of Bebbanburg,” the disgraced Viking warrior explained.  
Sigfrid’s eyes went wide with fury that hearing that notorious name.  
“Uhtred…the Dane slayer! We should have killed that turncoat when we had the opportunity.”  
“There was somebody else there,” Ragnar continued. “One of those people who froze us back in the forest close to Mercia.”  
“I assume you’re referring to these beings that can shoot what appear to be bolts of lightning,” Cnut said. “Oh, and they wear multicolored britches.”  
Ragnar nodded.   
“I confronted the bastard after my men were all slain. He might be their leader. Arrogant, cocky fellow. His name is James Kirk,” Ragnar explained.   
“James Kirk.” To Sigfrid, the name sounded noticeably Scottish. “James Kirk. I should make it my mission to find this instigator and kill him myself.”  
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Ragnar stated. “While the Saxons did most of the killing, Kirk blasted a hole of some kind in Sven’s heart. Nasty. Very nasty. He had some kind of blaster in his hand, like a hand crossbow, but just something that can’t be explained.”

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Alfred knelt beside Aelswith in the chapel inside of the palace. They prayed quietly in Latin for many things, including peace in England as well as the uniting of the various small kingdoms on the island. When they were finished, the king and queen blessed themselves and stood up.   
Father Beocca and Bishop Erkenwald entered the chapel.  
“My Lord King,” Erkenwald said. “Don’t be alarmed by my intrusion. “There is a pressing manner that Father Beocca and I have been meaning to discuss with you. It involves James Kirk, Spock, as well as their physician, McCoy.”  
“Your Eminence, what is so urgent that it couldn’t have waited another twenty minutes,” Aelswith answered.   
“My Lady, a sickness has overcome much of Wessex over the past few weeks. Then, all of a sudden, these strange people who we still have no idea where they could have originated from, arrive in Winchester and McCoy, using methods that from what I can see is borderline witchcraft, starts to heal everyone,” Erkenwald said. “We must tread very carefully.”  
At first, Alfred had considered this, then, after further examination, realized that these medical methods were not demonic or anything unholy, just different.   
“Your Eminence. I, for one, do not see what Doctor McCoy is doing as witchcraft,” Alfred replied. “But, if it will make you happy, I will discuss this with Doctor McCoy and his commander.”  
*****  
In his spare time (which was rare these days) Alfred of Wessex worked on writing a project known as the Doom Book, a set of laws that he saw as fair which would lay the groundwork for basic fundamental rights and freedoms in English Common Law and later the United States Constitution. Alfred was also picking away at another book that would feature events that took place during his lifetime as well as people who were there.  
A soldier escorted Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to Alfred’s private study, an expansive room that contained the largest library in all of England.   
“Your Majesty, Mr. Kirk, and his friends,” the soldier said.   
“Thank you,” Alfred replied.   
The soldier bowed and left. Four monks sat in the library working on translating books.   
“Venerable brothers, would be so kind as to give us some alone time?”  
The Christian brothers quietly stood and left the library.  
“Mr. Kirk, the reason why I requested your presence is due the fact that the local clergy is somewhat unsettled by the methods employed by your physician to heal citizens of Winchester who’ve become ill from this terrible punishment from God.”  
“Sire, this illness is a plague spread by filth and unsanitary conditions,” Bones stated. “Nothing more. Nothing less. Now, I don’t mean to insult or question your intelligence. Do you have any knowledge of the scientific method? Basic germ theory?”  
“Any questions of that nature I refer to my physicians,” Alfred stated. “While some of my counterparts – including the kings of Mercia, Northumberland and East Anglia would be quick to accuse your practices of being witchcraft, I can see that they are legitimate. It’s a bit funny, in a way, but I’ve been called progressive and ahead of my time for my openness to science and technology.   
“Thank you. That’s good to hear,” Bones said, a bit nervous when he was first summoned to the king’s chambers. “Your Majesty, I was glad that you requested us to come here, as I have a suggestion for you.”  
“What is it, doctor?”  
“Well, to prevent such outbreaks in the future, may I suggest improving the overall sanitary conditions of the city,” Bones elucidated. “Soap. We can show you how to build a basic sewage system so that folks aren’t tossing their waste into the streets.”  
Alfred mulled over these proposals.   
“Considering the state of affairs happening in my kingdom at the moment, that isn’t a priority considered valuable,” he said. “But I’ll look at it later on. Say, it has come to my attention that you have constructed a looking glass of some sort to see germs that spread the plague. Is this true?”  
Bones nodded before presenting Alfred with the crude optical microscope.   
“Here it is, Your Majesty.”  
Alfred examined the foreign object, his fascination showing. I am interested in learning how this works,” he said.   
“I’d be happy to show you,” Bones said.   
“Perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, you are all invited to a grand feast. There will be much food, dancing, and laughter.”  
Kirk, Spock, and Bones looked at each other with smiles.   
“Well boys, since we’re here, we might as well take in as much of the local life as we can,” Kirk said.   
“Yes, Captain. The more I learn about the history of your planet, the more I see just how different we are in so many ways,” Spock said.


	16. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Alfred of Wessex hosts a lavish feast inside one of the palace’s banquet rooms. Kirk goes outside to get some fresh air and meets up with Aethelflead. The two share a discreet romantic rendezvous.

Winchester, Kingdom of Wessex  
The Federation officers were treated to a lively feast that included such rousing entertainment as dancing, jousting, and juggling. Servants escorted Kirk and his officers to their seats on either side of the royal family. After grace was said, the guests were served hearty portions of pork, wild game, beef, vegetables, and bread.   
Bones took a small taste of his meal, unsure just exactly what 9th-century fare would be like.   
“Wow. This is surprisingly good. Almost as nutritious as anything we would eat in the 23rd Century.”  
Spock picked away at the food that was placed in front of him.   
“Considering it was prepared for a king, if it’s good enough for a king, it should be good enough for us,” the first officer of the Enterprise said.   
A servant came up to Spock with a metal wine jug.   
“No thank you. I prefer not to drink alcohol. Do you have water instead?”  
The servant bowed slightly before moving on.  
“I guess you’ve never been one to imbibe just a little, eh Spock?” Bones said.  
“In Vulcan culture, it’s rare for my species to drink alcohol – at least not that much,” Spock replied. “There is a Vulcan brandy. But I’ve never tasted it. Vulcan brandy was only manufactured during a period when our planet was isolated from the rest of the galaxy. Looking at all these people filling themselves with the strong drink that will impair their judgment and make them sick is most illogical.”  
“You’re forgetting something very crucial, Mr. Spock,” Bones said before drinking his wine. “During this period of history, the water supply wasn’t that safe to drink. Instead, people drank ale and wine. Look at it from the good side; you get to experience some truly authentic Medieval culture.”  
“You’re always the optimist, aren’t you, Bones?”  
“You bet your pointy ears I am,” Bones replied with a smile.  
A bell was rung. Alfred, Aelswith, Edward, and Aethelfleat arose.   
“We wish to welcome all of our esteemed friends to this feast,” Alfred said. “But especially our visitors from another land. Everybody, please welcome James Kirk and his friends.”  
The king’s guests raised their glasses in cheers to the Enterprise crew. When they were done eating, the officers got up and walked around, mingling with the members of the nobility and clergy.   
“Ms. Uhura. That is your name, isn’t it?” asked Beocca.  
Uhura turned around to find the priest standing behind her.   
“Nyota Uhura, that is right. You’re a Roman Catholic priest? Father….?  
“Beocca. I am a member of the Archdiocese of Winchester. It has come to my attention that you speak several languages. I assume you also speak Latin.”  
Uhura smiled.   
“I am a translator and communications officer who specializes in linguistics, cryptography, and philology. Yes, I do speak – in varying capacities – Latin, French, Middle, and Old English.”   
“Very interesting. You’ve one of the very few women who I’ve met that is well educated.”  
“Most women of this period marry and begin having children by the time they are in their early teens. Not so where I’m from.”  
Kirk walked around the throngs of guests. He bumped into Uhtred. The men shook hands.   
“This is one hell of a party you have going on here, Uhtred,” Kirk said.   
“There will be much more celebration once we drive the Danes from our shores permanently,” the Saxon warrior said with a beaming smile.   
“You’re right about that.”  
The entire time, Aethelfleat had been watching Kirk. The young princess was simply infatuated with the dashing Starfleet captain. If she could have him…you bet she would.  
Kirk was feeling the atmosphere quite stuffy.   
“Excuse me for a minute”, Uhtred.  
Kirk approached Spock and Bones.  
“I don’t know about you gentlemen, but all this excitement is getting to me,” Kirk said wearily. His face was flush, something that didn’t go unnoticed by his colleagues. “I’m going out for some fresh air.”  
“Be careful out there, Jim. You never know what kind of crazies you’ll encounter,” Bones said.  
“Whoever they are, they’ve never been faced with the business end of a phaser before.”  
*****  
Kirk walked out into the warm night. A blanket of stars hung over the medieval walled city. He breathed in the fresh air.   
“James.”  
Had she followed him outside? He turned around. Sure enough. It was his damsel in distress.  
“I hope you’re enjoying the feast.”  
“Oh, I most certainly am. I just needed some air.” Kirk studied the heavy constellations of stars. Aethelflead stood beside him.   
“They are so pretty. The stars, I mean. The sky at night. It’s such a mystery,” she said.   
“After you’ve studied the galaxy for as long as I have, you know it like you know your hometown,” he replied. He pointed at a constellation of stars. “See that cluster of stars right there? That’s Hydra. The largest of the modern constellations,” Kirk explained. “Hydra measures 1303 square degrees. And is the longest at over 100 degrees. Back in the second century, the astronomer Ptolemy discovered Hydra. Have you heard of this?”  
“No, I haven’t. James, maybe it’s just me, but there’s something about you. almost as though you’re from another time. Your English is different. You say things that we have never heard of.” She produced a grin. “Perhaps I’m merely overreacting. Your friend, Spock, he calls you captain. Did you serve together in one of the wars?”  
“He’s the first officer of my ship, the Enterprise.”  
Aethelflead felt embarrassed and nervous to say what was on her mind.   
“James, I have a confession to make.”  
“Please, tell me whatever’s on your mind.”  
“I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you.”  
“I’m sure your father and mother wouldn’t be too struck if they heard that statement.”  
Aetheflead moved in closer to Kirk, who felt his defenses weakening as her immense beauty and charm overcame him.   
“Let’s just not think about them for a moment or two, shall we?”  
With that, the time – crossed humans fell into each other’s arms, kissing passionately.


	17. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk reveals the truth about who he and his officers are to Aethelflaed. Sulu and Scotty wait for updates.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Although Kirk was enjoying this unexpected detour into the early Middle Ages, he worried greatly about how they were going to get back to the 23rd Century. Ninth century technology all but ensured that they had no materials at their disposal to construct any type of a device that might help them get back to the future.  
Kirk walked around a market that sold every type of trinket and food one could conjure up from watching TV shows and movies about the Medieval period. Cleanliness and any type of health regulations were sadly absent.  
“Good morning, Sir.” A woman with unkempt hair and two front teeth missing hefted a basket of apples and plunked them on top of her table. “Would you like to buy one?”  
Kirk was hesitant to eat anything outside of the king’s palace. He just wanted to say so in a nice way.  
“Ah----”  
“Hi, James.”  
Sure enough, just as he was about to speak, Aethelflead showed up.  
“Good morning, My Lady,” the woman said. “It’s a fine one.”  
“It most certainly is,” the princess said. “James, shall we go for a walk before lunch?”  
“If it pleases your highness, then, by all means.”  
Kirk and Aethelflead walked through the busy streets of Winchester.  
“You know, as much as I’m infatuated with you, I’m still destined to become the Lady of Mercia.”  
“Mercia? That’s a nearby kingdom?”  
Aethelflead nodded.  
“I’ve been betrothed to the king, Athelred. My father says it’s the only way to ally with the two kingdoms.”  
“I see. Aethelflead, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to get off my chest as well. You remember the other night when we shared a brief moment of passion?”  
She smiled glowingly.  
“Oh, how could I forget?”  
“And before that, I explained the various groups of stars and constellations in the sky?”  
“Oh yes, that was so interesting.”  
Kirk stopped walking and looked her in the eye.  
“Aethelflaed, perhaps I should have been more upfront with you before we secretly got involved with each other. I’m from up there.”  
“You mean in the sky? You must be an angel sent from Heaven!” her eyes went wide with excitement.  
“No, I’m from the future. The 23rd Century, to be precise. I’m the captain of a starship called the USS Enterprise,” Kirk explained. “We had just left a space station and became caught in a time warp. Ripples of time, to be exact. For some strange reason, we ended up in England in the year 872 A.D.”  
Aethelflaed felt as though she’d just had the wind knocked out of her. It was all too much to process.  
“That’s like 1400 years from now. How could you….?”  
“It’s not so easy to explain.”  
Aethelflaed became upset.  
“Regardless of how easy it is, you will have to explain how you are to my father. And you better hope and pray that he believes you. Otherwise, the consequences are going to be grave.”  
USS ENTERPRISE  
The waiting game was a painful, drawn-out process. Sulu was tempted to slap himself to make sure he wasn’t becoming delusional. Medieval England? How was that even possible? He felt like he was a prisoner to the chair where he’d been seated for the past eternity of hours. His lower back ached. He got up and moved around. He wasn’t the only one feeling hopeless and disillusioned from this crazy situation. Scotty also felt like he was dying from a mixture of anxiety and boredom.  
“Scotty, I don’t know what course of action I’m going to end up taking in the end. Either way, I’m going to have a mountain of paperwork to fill out for the Federation. Heck, even amongst the top scientists on earth, there’s a heated debate as to whether time travel is even attainable. What the hell am I going to do? Tell my superiors that Kirk and the others simply vanished into thin air. I’ve sent more probing ships and crews down to that planet. A talking rock archway? My God, there’s more crazy stuff in the Galaxy than I ever imagined.”  
“It’s a terrible quagmire for sure, Sir. But I still have hope that Captain Kirk and our fellow officers are doing just fine. As I said, they may have run into some of my Scottish ancestors. It was just debatable who they hated more; the Brits or the Danes.”  
Sulu replied with a weak smile. He sat back down and got onto his radio.  
“Gunnery sergeant, if you have any updates regarding the situation on Arissona, please provide them.”  
PLANET ARISSONA  
The marines huddled together inside of a cave to protect themselves from the intense afternoon heat.  
“Nothing out of the ordinary. No sign of Captain Kirk,” Robinson replied.


	18. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk is questioned about his affair with Aethelflaed and the Enterprise officers are brought under suspicion for revealing who they really are. A massive army of Danes marches toward the gates of Winchester.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
‘What the heck have I gotten myself into?’  
The question swirled round and round inside of Kirk’s head. He’d been confronted by his fellow Starfleet officers, who were not shy about showing their displeasure and anger at their commanding officer.  
“My God, Jim! What were you thinking?” Bones was beyond livid. “Have you forgotten where we are? We could be beheaded. Drawn and quartered. Horrible things could happen.”  
“I believe it was a 20th Century comedian who said something to the effect of ‘A man has two heads, and only enough blood to think with one at once’,” said Charles with a laugh.  
“Wipe that smirk off your face, lieutenant,” Kirk said sharply. “Or I’ll have you assigned to the most menial, least desirable job in the Galaxy.” Kirk faced Spock, Bones, Uhura, and Chekov. “It was a severe lack of judgment on my part.”  
“You better hope Alfred buys that,” Uhura said.  
*****  
Kirk led the way into the king’s throne room. Aelswith sat at his right side, while Aethelflead and Edward stood next to their parents.   
“Captain Kirk. You are the captain of a ship called the Enterprise, are you not?” Alfred asked with inquisitive eyes.   
“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”  
“But you’re not from the Ninth Century?”  
“No. We were in the year 2265 when the Enterprise got caught in a time warp in outer space. The Beta Galaxy. Our helmsman, Mr. Sulu, was thrown to the floor with the turbulence. Doctor McCoy and Mr. Chekov went to went Sulu. There was another rough shaking of our ship. Mr. Chekov accidentally injected himself with a dose of cordrazine. He started becoming delusional and acting crazy. Before we could stop him, Mr. Chekov ran down the corridor to the transponder room and beamed himself down to an unknown planet. From there, the Guardian of Time let him pass into history. For some reason, he ended up in Wessex,” Kirk explained.  
The royal family was taken aback. None of them could comprehend anything that Kirk had just told them.   
Bishop Erkenwald leaned in to speak quietly to the king and queen.  
“My Lord King. My Lady. I warned you that these visitors were instruments of the Devil,” he said. “They are demons disguised as angels of light.”  
Kirk and Spock stepped forward.   
“Your bishop believes that we are evil people simply because he doesn’t understand any better,” Spock said. “Everything that we’ve told you is true.”  
“Perhaps not everything,” Edward interjected. “You’re not Chinese, are you, Mr. Spock?”  
“No, I’m from the planet Vulcan.”  
“Vulcan? This is a realm?” Aethelflaed asked.   
Spock nodded.   
“Another planet in our Galaxy, only 1400 years from now. I’m a Vulcan. We’re a humanoid species.”  
“Captain Kirk, there is also the matter of the affair you had with my daughter,” Alfred said. “You do realize that having unlawful carnal knowledge of the future queen is punishable by death?”  
“Your Majesty, I apologize. I had a slight lapse in judgment. I should have known better. I didn’t mean any offense to you nor your family,” Kirk said.   
Erkenwald was becoming more incensed.   
“My Lord King, are you just going to sit there and take the word of this fool, or are you going to punish him and his band of demons? I beseech you to see inside your heart and realize that you have allowed the Devil into this kingdom.”  
Alfred thought this over. Although he was loath not to listen to his advisors, in his heart, he sensed that the visitors were not a threat to Wessex and were genuinely good people.   
“Captain Kirk, just out of curiosity, what would happen if I had every one of you executed? Considering you’re from another time, another realm. Would your people retaliate and strike us all down?”  
“Your Majesty, such a thing would interrupt and seriously damage not only the timeline but change history dramatically,” Spock explained. “Going back in time and killing an earthling either from the past or the future could set in motion an unending series of unfortunate events which will most definitely affect every human who lives after this date.”  
“I only wanted to know. Kirk, as much as you’ve displeased me, I cannot kill you. You may have fooled around with my daughter. But even after that episode, I’ve found it in my heart to forgive you,” Alfred elucidated. “We are friends. Friends who’ve helped each other a great deal.”  
Just then, the heavy wooden doors to the king’s chambers opened. In walked Uhtred, Finan, and a group of soldiers.   
“My Lord King. Forgive me for interrupting your meeting, but a massive horde of Danes is headed toward the gates of Winchester,” Finan stated with great urgency in his voice.   
Alfred arose from his throne.   
“Have every available man upon the towers and parapets,” the king ordered.   
“Yes, Sire,” Uhtred bowed before leaving.  
Alfred turned his attention to Kirk.   
“Captain, if you recall me asking you the other night at the feast about those weapons you and your men carry. Phasers? Is that what they are called?”  
Kirk nodded.   
“I only of one more favor of you before I help you return to the future. I need you to use your futuristic weapons to kill as many of those heathen, murdering bastards as you can. Can you do such a thing?”  
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kirk said. Although it would not be wise to take out the main leaders.”  
Alfred looked at him strangely.  
“And why not?”  
“What Mr. Spock explained to you a few minutes ago. You have some very notorious historical villains on their way to Winchester, including Cnut, Ragnar the Younger, as well as Erik Thurgilson. Killing them would seriously alter the course of history.”  
“Yes, that is right.” Alfred stepped down from his throne. “Hopefully, we win this fight and the Danes never bother us again. When that happens, I will get Emma to lead you back to the spot in the forest where you arrived. Do you believe you can get back to the 23rd Century from there?”  
Bones sighed.  
“It’s a longshot, but it’s the only chance we’ve got. Speaking of Emma, who is that little girl doing? She’s been through so much being orphaned.”  
“Not anymore,” Aelswith said. “One of the noble families adopted her.”


	19. WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Enterprise officers assist the Saxons in repelling a Dane siege on Winchester. Afterward, Kirk and his colleagues return home.

WINCHESTER, KINGDOM OF WESSEX  
Scores of soldiers rushed to the walls and towers. A massive cauldron of boiling tar was hoisted just above the main drawbridge. Archers lined up while the tips of their arrows were dipped in the tar. Below, hundreds of Danes on horseback and foot encircled the front of the castled city.   
Uhtred and Finan ran up a flight of steps to where a squad of soldiers stood waiting to repel the enemy.   
Alfred and Aelswith were escorted into the city’s main square. The Enterprise officers moved along with them.   
“Captain Kirk, I want you to put two of your officers on the front towers,” the king demanded. “Use those long, what do you call them?”  
“Phaser rifles, Your Majesty,” Kirk replied before turning to Charles and Chekov. “Gentlemen, give our guests a genuinely warm 9th or 23rd-century welcome, depending on how you feel.”  
“Aye, aye Sir,” Charles said before dashing off to the northeast – facing tower. When he got to the top, there was a 20 – foot drop to the ground below.   
*****  
“Did you see that?” Ragnar asked excitedly.  
Cnut didn’t know what he was talking about.  
“A man wearing one of those strange red tunics,” Ragnar replied. “He was carrying a weapon as he went to the tower.”  
Cnut spotted Charles, who was sighting in potential targets.   
“What in the Devil is that?” Cnut was baffled as his eyes saw the rifle.   
“It doesn’t matter,” Sigfrid said. “Attack!”  
A shower of arrows was launched toward Wessex. Charles moved out of the way as the razor-sharp projectiles slammed into the tower. The Saxons retaliated by shooting a volley of arrows into the ground in front of the walled city, which had been covered in tar. A wild gush of flames shot up as Danes screamed and cried in agony as they rushed to scatter back to their defenses.   
On the wall, Kirk and Spock stood next to King Alfred.   
“A real medieval siege!” Kirk was impressed.  
“This isn’t some Hollywood blockbuster, Captain. As you can see, these men are dying.”  
Charles and Chekov fired concentrated blasts at Danes who’d rushed in close to launching another attack on Winchester. Cnut couldn’t believe his eyes. Ragnar hadn’t been a delusional idiot after all.   
The Enterprise officers joined in the counterattack, taking out dozens of Vikings. Realizing that the cards were stacked against him, Cnut became agitated.   
“Retreat! Retreat!”  
The remaining Danes ran for their lives. A thunderous roar of victory came from the victorious Saxons.   
“Hey Captain, you couldn’t give one of those to me, could you?” asked Alfred. “I’ll give you plenty of silver and gold in exchange.”  
“Your Majesty, as much as I would like to…”  
“I know. It could disrupt the timeline,” Alfred said with a smile.   
Kirk descended the stairs to find Aethelflead and Emma walking through the main square. She couldn’t resist putting her arms around Kirk and kissing him on the cheek.   
“You’re some kind of future warrior,” she proclaimed happily.   
“Here I am. Back in the 23rd Century, I’m just another starship commander.”  
“Captain Kirk, what’d you say we get you and your crew back to the forest and get you home,” Uhtred said.   
“Home never looked so good,” Bones said.   
Alfred extended his hand. Kirk shook it.  
“Captain, whether you like it or not, I’m adding you and your friends to my book I’m writing. You’ll be immortalized in history. The visitors from the future, I might call it,” Alfred said.   
“Thank you, My Lord,” Kirk said. “I don’t know if we’ve changed history or not, but it will be interesting if we have.”  
FOREST NEAR WESSEX – MERCIA BOUNDARY  
Uhtred, Finan, Emma, four Saxon soldiers, and the Enterprise officers emerged from a stand of thick forest to a road.  
“This is it,” Kirk said happily. “We’ve made it!” Kirk fiddled with his communicator. The others followed suit.   
“Kirk to Enterprise. Kirk to Enterprise. Come in.”  
What ensued was a squelching noise that none of the medieval dwellers had ever heard before, followed by the barely clear voice of Sulu.  
“Captain! I can’t believe it. It’s you.”  
“Yes, of course, it’s me. I’m directly on the borderline between Wessex and Mercia,” Kirk explained. “I don’t know if that means much to you way out there in space, but that’s our location.”  
“Standby,” Sulu said. “We’ll beam you up in two minutes.”  
Kirk turned to Uhtred.   
“Well, Uhtred. Here is where we say our goodbyes. Perhaps someday we will meet."  
"Only in Heaven,” Uhtred said.   
“If that’s what’s meant to be,” Kirk said. “It will happen.”  
The Enterprise officers stood together in a cluster. Suddenly, without warning, they were evaporated in a strange show of light and disappeared into thin air.  
“Uhtred, what just happened?” Finan was knocked for six. “Captain Kirk said something about getting beamed up. Then they just vanished. I suppose it’s a show of the technology they have in their realm.”


	20. ON THE USS ENTERPRISE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk and the officers return to the Enterprise in time to explore another region of the Galaxy.

ONBOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE  
Kirk sat back in his chair. My, that leather-backed seat that often was the cause of so much back pain never felt so good. That entire episode had been so crazy, he couldn’t even comprehend how exactly it had happened. Ninth Century England? Vikings? If anything, it was something to tell his grandchildren.   
The Enterprise moved slowly through the vastness of the galaxy.   
“So, what was he like?” Scotty asked.   
Kirk was tired from the misadventure. He found himself dozing off in his chair but woke right up.   
“Who?”  
“King Alfred the Great.”  
“Just as the name implies,” Bones added as he entered the bridge with a steaming cup of coffee. “You can’t find coffee anywhere in that barbaric time. That’s one of the things I missed most about now.”  
A steward brought in a tray with a sandwich and drinks on it for Kirk.   
“Thank you, petty officer.”  
“You’re welcome, Sir,” he replied before leaving.   
“Mr. Sulu, I can only imagine what that report was going to look like.”  
“I assume you’re referring to the one where I have to convince the brass at Starfleet Command that my commanding officer as well as seven colleagues disappeared in Medieval England. I just couldn’t figure out how I was going to spin that one.”  
“Luckily now, you won’t have to,” Bones said as he sat down.   
“Sir, how about a short reprieve at the space station for a bit of R and R?” Sulu suggested.  
“Nah, I think I’ll stay here,” Kirk said. “We’re heading into an unexplored region of the Galaxy – at least one that I’ve never explored – and I can’t wait to see what’s in it.”


End file.
